And why not, Princess? Or should I say, Naruto?
by Kumiru-san
Summary: AU Yaoi Sasunaru:: Naruto never thought that being forced to dress as Princess Ino's FEMALE maid and attending some stupid "Selection Party" would bring everyone so much trouble. And really, is it wrong to fall in love with...yourself? Sasuke thinks so.
1. Meet the Bitch

Hiya!

This is Gabriel speaking. Yush I know, you're all probably thinking, " Oh, no! Not _another _Sasunaru with a Prince and love and happily ever after!"

No worries! Here, I guarantee love won't come up until much later, after all, if they fall in love by the second chappy, what's the point? I can't say light romance shall not be in the air, but that's about it. And also, this is YAOI people, so no likey, no readey. No flames about that please. Actually, no flames in general. Those are dumb. However, constructive criticism is always appreciated! ^-^

Warning: Yaoi (for now, it shall be in a high rating only 'cause of language)

Disclaimer: No characters are mine, except the tiny itty bitty OCs which aren't really important anyways. The basic plot isn't really mine either, but apart from the whole Prince and Princess thing, then YES its MINE; back off.

**Chapter 1**

_**'And so God came down from the heavens and said, "Bitch, your name is Sakura." ' **_

* * *

"Princess? You called me?"

"Indeed Naruto. Please come inside."

Naruto stepped inside the doors to his princess' room and closed them. Inside he turned to the princess seated in front of him, his arms at his sides, and his torso bent at just the right angle to show that he was willing to do her bidding. This, of course, was just for show, as he often refuted her words and refused to do what she told him to do if he found it too silly or dangerous. She still _was_ the princess, thought, and so he was forced to at least pretend that she had complete control over him.

In front of him, Princess Ino sat, facing her mirror, thousands of perfumes, body lotions, make-up and other feminine products surrounding her on her vanity table. Her long blonde hair fell down her shoulders in a pony-tail, and it shone spectacularly in the strategically directed sunlight from her windows. She turned in her chair and let her blue eyes sweep over him. Naruto felt his insides clench in apprehension. He could _so_tell he was going to have a hard time digesting whatever it was that Ino had cooked up for him this time.

"Yes, you will do quite well..." she murmured under her breath. "Naruto will you try on that dress? The blue one on the counter?"

Naruto's eyes widened significantly, but he turned to the counter, where, indeed, a blue dress lay. He raised an eyebrow towards the Princess, but approached the garment and held it up. Inside, he was already making a huge list on ways to refuse to do this, whatever it was, and another list wondering why in on Earth was Ino asking him to try on a _dress_, of all things. "Um, Ino...I-"

"Just try it on," she answered, with fake sweetness in her voice. Naruto swallowed, not daring to continue his question. She still could force him to do most things, if she wanted him to do them hard enough. He quickly stepped into the dress, still keeping all other clothes on, and rose it up to his torso. As the ruffles settles on his waist and his eyes turned back to look at Ino, he realized she had stood up and was looking him over curiously. Her eyes held a sort of predatory look which made Naruto shiver as she walked circles around him. For a few seconds, he felt the inexplicable need to bolt. Then she was facing him again, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Hmmmm...maybe a blonde wig? Or extensions...yes, temporary extensions would do very nicely. And fix that dress as best as you can. I can understand why you'd rather keep on your clothes, but would you at least try to hide them? We need you to look lady-like."

She grinned, then quickly disappeared behind a closet door. Naruto bit his tongue before he asked why the _hell_did he need to look 'lady-like', then adjusted his breeches so that they didn't show over the lower edge of the dress and his shirt so that the extra cloth provided him with a miniature chest expansion. A few seconds later, Ino emerged with a bag filled with blonde locks and a bottle. She turned and looked over her servant with an amused glimmer in her eyes.

"Ok, now. Hold still."

* * *

Naruto clenched his teeth once again as the carriage bumped on the road. He ground the skirt in between his fingers as besides him Ino blabbered on and on about the Prince. He was still annoyed at the turn of events; being told he was to pose as Ino's personal maid for the Ceremony of Choosing, performed by the Uchiha family to celebrate their son, Uchiha Sasuke's, coming of age, was so NOT on his list of 'Things To Do Before I Die'. Or before he strangled blondie. Whichever happened first.

Of course, Naruto could've been ecstatic. He could've been jumping around with glee, feeling lucky and grateful at Ino's bringing him along, and he could've been a girl. Unfortunately, or fortunately, he was none of these. That Ino expected him to be all of these things, including the last one, was putting Naruto in a less-than-agreeable mood. The constant bumpiness of the carriage was preventing him from resting, as he was already exhausted from all the preparations. He rested his head against the side of the carriage, hoping sleep would come eventually.

He was (finally!) falling asleep as the carriage came to a stop. Ino jumped out, pulling a drowsy Naruto along with her. He nearly tripped, but managed to recover his balance before he got a face-full of mud. His eyes grew wide in astonishment.

He'd often seen, like most other people, the castle in the distance. However, nothing he'd been able to discern could have prepared him for seeing the castle up close and personal. It was huge, _gigantic_. It shone from the magical lights which had been placed around the structure to bring out every feature, every single spot on the building.

If you asked Naruto, it was the most appallingly _horrific _thing he'd ever seen.

Whoever had made the plans for this thing had obviously been high on something, and then had asked his 2 month old daughter with sight problems to review it and make corrections. Naruto's hands twitched with the effort to start running around and arranging thing. Heck, arranging things wouldn't solve much. He wanted to frickin' bring the castle down and start from zero.

Beside him, Ino sighed in wonderment as she looked up the castle.

"Isn't it lovely?"

Naruto didn't trust himself not to puke if he opened his mouth, so he didn't answer, merely looked up the castle with the same dreamy expression Ino had on her face, thought anyone with brain-reading abilities would have wondered _why_was Naruto dreaming of smashing those yellow, puke-color-laced...er...cupids...dragons... (starfish??) with small _things_ sticking out of them which surrounded the top castle turrets. Oh yes, he looked at them dreamily.

* * *

Inside the castle, however, was a completely different story. Naruto had to stifle a high, very unmanly squeal as he entered the (horrific) doors of the castle.

Everywhere he turned there was at least one orange thing decorating the walls; be it a curtain, a door, a vase, it didn't matter to Naruto, who's hands twitched with the effort to go and start polishing the objects, to bring out the sheer orange-ness.

And it wasn't just those littered shows of color either; everything in the room was somehow designed to match every single other object in the room. The chairs went appraisingly with the tables, the furniture added wonderfully to the windows behind them and even the drinks, which had been placed on a table partially hidden from view, had been made with varying ingredients -and a spell, Naruto could've bet on it- which allowed the drink to change color every few seconds. He wondered briefly if the drink changed taste as well.

"Come on, Naruto! We're supposed to mingle with the other princesses! And you, being my personal maid, have to be close!"

Naruto resisted Ino's tug on his sleeve for a moment, then allowed himself to be dragged towards a group of girls who were chatting about this and that. Naruto stayed at the edges of the group, not volunteering anything unless someone asked him a direct question, and still he said as little as possible. His eyes kept going around the room, scanning for any possible threats. He didn't really think that someone might attack the castle right now, but he was bored, and it paid to be cautious. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that a couple of the princesses were whispering in each other's ear and pointing in what they thought was a discreet manner towards him. Naruto clenched his teeth and tried to ignore them, but after a few seconds the two girls started walking towards him. He didn't really want a confrontation right now, so he quickly asked Ino for permission to go get something to drink. She nodded, then resumed talking.

Naruto quickly slipped away from the group and maneuvered through the other circles of princesses until he reached the drinks' table. As he grabbed one, he discreetly scanned the room once again, this time searching for the duo which had been going towards him before. To his despair, they were coming directly towards him, and this time escape was not an option.

He nonchalantly brought the drink up to his lips and took a taste. It wasn't anything too weird, kind of minty, and so he waited for a few moments until the liquid changed color, then he took another sip. He grimaced as a sour taste entered his mouth and nearly spilled it back out. He set it down with only a small shiver as he swallowed.

"So, who are you?"

Naruto grimaced at the snotty tone, then brought his eyes up to meet those of the girl in front of him. She had bubble-gum pink hair, and her green eyes flashed arrogantly at him. Behind her stood a girl with dark blue-black hair, her face turned down shyly.

Naruto knew immediately that he'd have to deal mainly with the pink-haired girl in front.

He had to admit she was very pretty, and Naruto would've immediately taken a liking to her had she not been so arrogant in the first place. He truly detested those kinds of people.

"My name is Narut...Naru, ma'am. I am Princess Ino's personal maid."

The girl rose an eyebrow, then her lips turned into a smirk. "Well, I guess that would be the only way that Sasuke would even spare you a glance." She eyed Naruto's chest with disdain. "Especially when you're so _lacking_ in a certain department."

Naruto couldn't help but snarl as his temper got the best of him. "Not like you got so lucky, either."

Her grin fell right off her face as she turned cherry red. She let out a tiny, indignant squeak, then marched right off. The other girl bowed towards Naruto.

"I'm terribly sorry, Sakura-sama is always like that. Please don't take her personally. I'm really sorry."

Naruto smiled at the girl. "Don't worry...?"

"Hinata."

"Hinata, eh? That's a pretty name. Well, don't worry about it, Hinata-san. It's not your fault anyways that she's like that." He almost called Sakura a few more colorful words, but held it back as the girl smiled sweetly at him. Naruto had to fight down a tiny blush. _I'm a girl! And girls don't like girls! That's called being lesbian and I'm not! I'mnotI'mnotI'mnot! After all, why would I be here in the first place if I were lesbian? Oh yeah, Ino dragged me. Which means I _could_be lesbian. But I'm not really a girl, and so I wouldn't need to be, but Hinata thinks I am so...shuddup brain, shuddupshuddup._

Thankfully no one could hear the blonde's inner monologue.

"Hinata! Get over here already!"

Sakura was suddenly right in Naruto's face.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing talking to _my_servant, you whore? Get away from me, you hear me? What are you, lesbian? God you're such a bitch!" And with that, she grabbed Hinata's hands in a hurtful grip and dragged her away, Hinata sending Naruto a glance back, saying she was sorry for Sakura's behavior.

Naruto just stood stock still, letting his brain wrap around everything that the girl had just said. As the individual words registered in his brain, he felt incredible anger rise up inside. He narrowed his gaze onto the princess, who had joined another group and was now talking with them, her face settling into the smug, arrogant expression she'd had since the start. Naruto felt his hands start to burn and itch as his anger rose and rose. How he wished that something would happen right now to embarrass that bitch in front of those other girls!

His eyes strayed to the dress. It was very tight on Sakura's slim figure, and the tiny catch in the back seemed way too fragile to hold on the whole ensemble. Naruto's fingers itched to undo the clasp and watch as the dress fell off the girl in front of all these people.

_'You just had to ask.'_

Naruto gasped as a familiar voice ran through his head. A voice he hadn't hear for a long while. His right index finger twitched.

Suddenly, the tiny metal piece flew off the edge of the ties holding on the outfit, and the whole thing slid off. For a second, there was complete silence in the room. Someone giggled. Soon the whole room was filled with suppressed laughter; some even guffawed outwardly.

Sakura had turned beet-red as she tried to lift the clothing back up, but all the parts of the dress had somehow gotten entangled and she couldn't even figure out how to put it on again.

Then, without warning, she whipped her face to glare at Naruto, who had a tiny victory smile on his lips. She whipped past all the other guests and in less than a second she was right up to Naruto's face.

"What the fuck is your problem! Are you a lesbian or what? Did you want that badly to see me in underwear, you pervert!"

Naruto's abated anger returned as Sakura with her 'dress' stalked to one of the upper cubicles to change. With her back to Naruto, he could see the clasp of her bra. _Again?_

His right index finger twitched again.

A high pitched scream followed Naruto as he exited the castle through one of the side doors, not really wanting to have to resort to physical violence.

* * *

First chappy done! Yippeee!!!

Whoever can tell me what the _original_ quote is, from the start of the chapter, gets a COOKIE!!! No, not really, but I'll dedicate the next chapter to you!

- G


	2. Delusions

**(Update!! ---A small bit of corrections from Adrianne at around the middle. Its the Kiba part. Had to fix it so the plot could go on smoother!! ^^)**

Ookayyy Gabe here 'gain!

Here's second chappy! I personally am not too sure about the quality. I want to have the _meeting_ as realistic as possible. Also, a few things which may seem OOC will be explained at the bottom. So, tell me any corrections you think would be worth adding! And please read the note at the end before critiscising. Tankye!

Yes, I know what I said before, but I'm going on a trip and I'm not gonna have computer! THE HORROR!!! So I won't make any updates or edits for around a month. ^^º

So this is my apology; another chappy!

Gomen! Gomen! *bows*

Warnings: Language, Yaoi

Disclaimer: See first chappy.

**Chapter 2**

**_'Love is patient, love is kind; love is slowly going out of your mind.'_**

* * *

Naruto's scowl didn't disappear until he got to the very back of the huge garden he entered as he'd gone through the side-door. The view in front of him was, of course, beautiful. He sighed as he sat in front of the few rosebushes which still grew in front of the grander expanse of meadow. He brought his hands over one of the roses, plucking one out.

Suddenly, hearing sounds behind him, Naruto tensed. He reached into the fold of his dress almost instinctively, where he had placed the dagger earlier. As the person came to a stop behind him, Naruto heard someone clearing his throat. He turned, faking surprise.

"Oh! I didn't hear you coming up. You startled me," he said, feeling as the voice-spell altered his voice, and allowing a blush to stain his cheeks. He person in front of him regarded him coolly. Naruto bit back a sharp retort as the man gave him a once over, pausing at her hand. Naruto realized that he still held the rose. He brought it up and offered it to the man in front of him, hoping he'd be put off. The man looked at him strangely; then he spoke.

"You're bleeding."

Naruto's eyes widened a little bit as he brought his hand closer to his face for inspection. The innocent look gave way to a vacant expression as he identified blood on his fingers from where thorns had pierced his skin.

"So I am," he murmured softly. Then, without thinking, his tongue brushed out on the wound and licked up the blood. It took two seconds for his mind to kick back into gear, and he quickly rose his eyes to meet the man's in front of him.

His eyes were midnight black, as was his hair. He looked at her with a slightly shocked, if guarded expression.

Naruto's eyes widened innocently to hide his annoyance. _Damn, so soon a mistake? Stupid blood..._

He tightened his grip on the dagger with his other hand. Then, lightning quick, he swung the weapon, intending to cut off the raven's head, or at least severe an artery. However, Naruto hadn't counted on the man's unexpectedly quick reflexes, who had ducked so fast that the dagger barely brushed the tips of his hair. The man quickly walked back, drawing a sword of his own, a frown marring his features.

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. _Fuck...that sword's way longer than my little knife. And his grip... he's no beginner. Fuckfuckfuck! _

Naruto dropped the rose and the dagger in one movement, quickly falling to his knees and placing his face in his hands. Dry, fake sobs wracked his body. He heard the man approach him, sheathing his sword once again.

Naruto turned away, trying to put some space between himself and the man.

"Go away! Don't you dare hurt me! I'll...I'll tell my mother! She's a queen, you know!"

Naruto nearly broke his act and burst out laughing at his lines, which with the altered voice sounded like some of the princesses inside, but he figured that that would make the act a little -ok a _lot- _less believable. "Who are you? Why do you have a dagger? And why did you attack me with it?"

Naruto rose, attempting to hide his face with his sleeves so the man couldn't see the lingering smirk.

"I attacked you 'cause I thought you were gonna do something to me, like...like rape me," he whined out with his best childish-girlie voice, with a tinge of fright and crying to it. "And I have a dagger 'cause my daddy always makes me carry one. For emergencies. He's taught me how to use it, too. But I'm not very good... " He wiped an eye with his sleeve and brought them down to his navel as soon as he was sure he had on the appropriate expression.

The man rose one eyebrow, looking Naruto over suspiciously. "Then what are you doing all alone here?"

Naruto pouted, then let out another fake sob.

"That's because all the princesses inside were teasing me!" he whined again. "Said I had a flat chest."

"Well you do."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he was unable to stop himself from snapping as his voice took on a lower, more dangerous note, dropping all pretenses of innocence.

"Well, I'm sorry. And I'll bet you only like huge melons, right bastard?"

The raven's eyes widened, then narrowed once again. He took a step forwards. "Are you sure you're a princess?"

Naruto mentally kicked himself at his slip. "Of course I'm sure! What do you think I am? A servant?"

"And what is your name then?"

Naruto tensed as his mind raced.

"It is impolite to request someone's name without first giving your own."

"You don't know who I am?"

Naruto ground his teeth to keep from telling the guy in front of him that obviously, NO, he didn't know who he was or else he wouldn't be asking! Instead he kept his silence. The raven sighed.

"I am Prince Uchiha Sasuke, heir to the throne. And who might you be, princess?"

Naruto felt his throat clench as his eyes enlarged.

_Shitshitshitshitshit! Of all the people I could've met, of course I meet the fucking bloody prince! Name! Name! Name! Who am I...!? Oh...wow. Obvious much? _

"Of course, I am Princess Yamanaka Ino, your highness."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"You are princess Yamanaka?"

Naruto smiled. He bought it! Yes! He curtsied slightly.

"I'm sorry if what I did earlier startled you. I didn't recognize you since it's so dark and all... for now, would you like to join me?"

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, then he bent down without answering and grabbed the rose and then the dagger, placing both in the pouch on his hip. He then sat down. Naruto sat down beside him. He absently stretched out his hand to pluck another rose from the brush, before Sasuke's hands stopped him. Naruto turned to look at Sasuke questioningly, only to see that he was ignoring him. The prince plucked out a rose on his own and, using Naruto's dagger, cut off all the thorns before handing the flower to the stunned blonde. Naruto lifted the flower to the moonlight.

Neither of them said anything for a while, and Naruto fidgeted uncomfortably as he figured a way to break the oppressive silence.

"So...what are you doing back here?"

"I guess I was just growing annoyed at my father, and all those simpering princesses inside."

Sasuke didn't volunteer any more, and Naruto didn't attempt another start at conversation. Instead, he started to pluck out the petals from the rose slowly, one by one, counting under his breath.

"Why are you pulling them out?"

Naruto didn't turn as he answered the Prince's question.

"I'm counting."

"Why?"

"It's a game. Yes, no. You wish for something and this game tells you if it will come true or not."

Sasuke was quite for a little while as Naruto continued to pluck.

"What did you wish for?"

A gentle smile graced Naruto's face as he came upon the last petal, his fingers, instead of pulling out the petal, caressing it softly.

"I wish...I didn't really wish for anything. I've played this game so many times I've lost count, and yet the only time I ever wished for anything was the first time." He then turned and offered the flower to Sasuke. The prince looked at Naruto, as if asking him what he was supposed to do. Naruto grinned softly.

"What will you do?" he murmured, more to himself than the person in front of him.

Sasuke brought a hand over the last petal, standing so valiantly right in the center of what used to be its crown. He closed his fingers over the tiny thing, fully intending to pull it out. However, as he felt the fragility of it between his fingers, he softly let it go. Instead, he took the flower from Naruto's hand and brought it close to this face. He then turned to Naruto, who was looking at him with an odd expression on his face. He felt a strange urge overtake him and, acting on a whim, he placed the rose on Naruto's ear, resting inside his hair so that the tiny red tongue rested just above Naruto's eyes.

Naruto looked at him curiously, then smiled softly.

Sasuke managed a minuscule smile in return. Then, a thought unbidden jumped out of his mouth.

"Is it spoiled of me to think that I could ever find true love?"

Naruto, instead of laughing at him as Sasuke had thought he might, or calling him a hopeless romantic and cooing over him as some might've, regarded him quietly. Sasuke felt himself tense under his scrutiny, expectedly nervous at revealing even such a small, yet intimate, part of himself. Yet something about the strange blonde just seemed to put him at ease.

"No." Naruto finally answered. "It's not spoiled as long as you aren't thinking that that love will be handed to you on a silver platter. You may be a prince, but some things can't be bought. Some things need to be earned and deserved." Then Naruto's expression turned soft, his hand reaching out as if to touch Sasuke's cheek. One finger brushed the raven's jaw before Naruto bit his lip and retracted his hand. "I believe everyone deserves love, and that anyone can earn it."

Naruto tensed as he heard his own voice in his ears. It was starting to sound much lower and deeper, which could only mean one thing; the voice-spell was wearing off. He turned his eyes quickly to scan the Prince's expression, but caught no hint that he'd noticed anything strange.

Naruto stood hurried, brushing off his skirts. Sasuke rose with him, his expression serious. Naruto hurriedly curtsied once again, hoping to escape before the prince noticed his voice wasn't quite feminine. He then turned, intending to get away. However, the prince grabbed onto his arm, twisting Naruto to face him.

"Princess Yamanaka Ino?"

For a second, Naruto was confused, but then he remembered that he'd told Sasuke that was his name.

"Yes?" He purposely altered the pitch of his voice so that it was close to what it had been before.

"The Ceremony of Choosing will be in a few minutes. I trust that you will be near the balcony to hear?"

Naruto nodded, not trusting himself to speak much more.

Suddenly, Naruto was tugged forwards and he felt a pair of lips being pressed to his cheek.

As soon as the prince released his grip on Naruto, the flabbergasted blonde took a few steps backwards. Then, he turned and fled back into the castle.

_Oh, shitshitshitshitshitshit! I need to find Ino quick! Where..._

He quickly found the blonde in the middle of a center of girl. He ran towards them, squeezing between a pair of brunettes and hissing into the Princess' ear.

"Princess! There is something of extreme urgency I must talk to you about!"

The other blonde let herself be dragged away from the crowd, fussing about her hair and the state of her dress. Naruto dragged her off to a more secluded corned of the room, where he was sure people wouldn't hear them.

"Princess! You see, I..."

"Ladies! Princesses! Welcome to my Ceremony of Choosing!"

Naruto cursed as he turned to look towards the balcony which overlooked the whole ballroom. On it was, of course, none other than Prince Sasuke. Naruto swirled to look back towards Ino, but the Princess was already running towards the balcony, eager to be near the Prince. Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at the prince, who was blabbing on about something or other. His eyes then went to Ino. Then to the prince, then to Ino.

The panicked expression fell off his face as his mouth twisted into a smirk. _Perfect. This is even better than I thought! It was so dark out, that I'll bet that the Prince couldn't really look at me too well! And both mine and Ino's dresses are blue, both our eyes are blue and both our hair is blonde! _

Naruto cheered inside his head. Then he turned. _I don't have much time!_

He quickly spotted an entrance to the kitchen and, slipping inside, maneuvered in between the startled cooks to enter into the backdoor, where all the materials for cooking and all the aprons were kept. Quickly stripping off the dress, he proceeded to change into a waiter's clothing. He'd seen several running around, with drinks for the women and simply carrying around plates filled with food and empty plates.

Within a few seconds he was ready. As he was about to go out, he suddenly turned one more time and started rummaging around the room. He quickly found a can of grease and a pot of cocoa. Smearing the grease on his hands, he sifted through his hair, feeling the soft strands turning disgustingly greasy. Then he sprinkled cocoa over his head and proceeded to massage his scalp and comb his fingers through his now-long hair. The grease mixed in with the brown powder, and soon, his hair was a shiny, brunette color, all the way down to the extensions Ino had placed on his head. He grabbed a piece of string that was lying around and tied his hair in a braid, not wanting yet to tear out the lengths. He rather liked how they looked.

Naruto grimaced at the feel of his hair as he tied it, but then he wiped the left-over grease on a nearby towel and finally stepped outside.

The prince's voice still rang out, and a lot of the cooks and waiters had stopped doing what they were supposed to, to hear the final announcement of their new queen. Naruto felt a frown form on his lips and, pausing to pick up a tray half-full with margaritas, he entered the ball-room once again.

He kept to the edges of the room, where most of the other waiters had started assembling against. He placed his tray on one of the many tables and then stood next to another brunette waiter. He had red triangles on his cheeks and a certain canine look to him. The other guy turned to look at Naruto.

"Have I seen you before?"

Naruto's mind raced, and he shook his head.

"No. His highness hired me for this occasion."

The waiter's lips parted in a smile.

"Well, that's nice! My name's Kiba. What's yours?"

Naruto toyed with the idea of telling him his real name. He settled for middle-ground.

"My name's Kyuubi," he said with a smile. He knew he was taking a small risk, but he doubted anyone would connect the myths of the original _Kyuubi _with the boy that stood right there. For a second, Kiba's eyes widened and his mouth opened as if he was going to say something, but then it changed into a canine grin.

"Kyuubi, huh? Cool name!"

Kiba seemed about to continue when suddenly all the lights dimmed. Kiba immediately pressed himself flush against the wall. Naruto, not really understanding, did the same. Suddenly, one ray of light shone down and focused on Prince Uchiha.

"And now, I shall pronounce my bride. May the Princess Yamanaka Ino step forwards please?"

* * *

Well, it's my first time at a cliff-hanger. I'm guessing you were all expecting that, weren't you?

The next chappy is were it all starts falling apart for our dear Sassy and Naru-chan.

Now for the basic explinations of OOC-ness:

- Naruto and knife: this will be explained later and is part of the plot.

- Sasuke and his little blurt of feelings: even the most reserved people have one small weakness; whenever you are faced with someone who, for some reason, you believe really cares, you shall _want_ to tell them things about you. For Sasuke, Naruto seems like someone caring, (even though he hasn't really consciously realized it yet; most people don't really realize it until they think about it later) and so he blurted out the love thing, hoping Naruto could help him with his small doubt.

- Naruto's overall 'matured-ness': This is a grown-up Naruto people. Yes he's still happy and dense and a goof, but he's also learned some things about life. Some hard and some good, but all-round pretty enlightening.

- Kyuubi: This is a big part of the plot and will be explained later, so please bare with me!

Also, no, there will not be any het except for certain innuendoes or implied parts. This is also part of the plot, which I want to remain pretty realistic for romance. Hopefully it'll work out. ^^

- G


	3. Kyuubi

**(Update!-- Adrianne just took a look at the ending and fixed it up a little, so now it might be better! --G)**

Hiya!!! Gabriel's back again! Bet ya didn't think I'd be back intill around later right...? right...? C'mon people, I wanna feel listened to...

Ok ok ok so I had one more chappy before I go; this one really is the last one! I just kinda finished it so hope its good! ^-^

BTW, this whole story is REALLY AU so no surprises when they can use magic, okay? And no het, at least not blatant. Just insinuated. Though there might be a few parts where people will be like... "...het..." I personally am okay with het so long as the scenes stay at PG-13 level. I dunno... I don't reall like the detailed scenes. Its weird. But I bet a lot other Yaoi fangirls feel that way too. I know a lot of my friends do. ^-^

And, people, I need help, 'cause I don't know where this story is going... Well I know the basic plot but if you have some idea on soemthing interesting which could happen meantime, I would be ecstatic to know!

Also, someone said that this story is similar to another story they've read. And I have to say that yes, that is very probable. The whole start of a Princess making a servant dress as a maid, and confusion, and Prince falling for maid, but thinks its the Princess (ok, maybe not that last part, but whatev') is pretty common. I assure you, however, none of the rest will be like anything you've read before!

I hope. I really do. Cause if not it would suck for me, yanno...?

Shuddup, brain. Shuddupshuddup.

Warning: Same stuff.

Disclaimer: See first chappy.

**Chapter 3**

**_'The road to hell is paved with good intentions.'_**

* * *

Naruto swallowed a bubble of laughter as a tiny squeal was heard as Ino practically bounded towards the edge of the stairs to the balcony. The prince slowly started down, and it seemed as if Ino couldn't hold her excitement inside her skin. Naruto was torn between wanting to scream and laugh at the current predicament he found himself in. The prince wanted to marry _him_, (god forbid) and instead was going to get Ino. Naruto felt a wicked grin climb up his lips. Ah well. Shit happens.

As the prince descended the final steps and finally stopped next to Ino, Naruto had to stop himself from outwardly guffawing at Sasuke's reaction. Most people wouldn't have noticed it, but Naruto had survived in the streets by reading people, knowing who would feed him and who would try to beat him up. And right now Sasuke, as he looked at Ino's face and clearly realized this was NOT who he'd seen earlier, looked like he wanted to beat someone up.

Of course, no one realized this, least of all Ino. And Naruto, who _did_ notice, and was probably the only person who could help Sasuke -or anyone, at this point- was not willing.

Sasuke opened his mouth, and for a second Naruto was sure he was going to say something to blow the fiasco. Then he closed it, apparently changing his mind. Instead, he suddenly bent down and crouched on one knee. Then he took one of Ino's delicate hands and rose it to his lips. He gave it a soft kiss, then turned his eyes to the blushing blonde.

"Princess Ino? Do you accept to become mine and, as consequence, Queen of the Kingdom?"

Naruto rolled his eyes.

Ino smiled brilliantly. Naruto had to give her a point for not squealing his ear off.

"Prince Sasuke! Of course I accept!"

Sasuke stood up elegantly, then turned to face the crowed of dismayed princesses around him. However, they all quickly changed expressions and started clapping at the new Royal pair. All the waiters around Naruto started clapping as well and he joined in to the applause quickly. Beside him, Kiba whistled.

Naruto laughed as the music resumed and all the waiters picked up their trays and continued to pass them around the people. Naruto found his and the proceeded to try to find Ino. He needed to make sure of a couple things before he could set his own plans in motion.

As he passed a group of girls, he caught a flash of pink. He frowned without even realizing it as he remembered the pink bitch from before, but decided that it wasn't worth it trying to stay angry. After all, he probably would never see her again, and what was the use of holding a grudge then?

As he walked around the room, two things happened, one good and one...not so good.

The good thing was that he found Ino.

The bad one was that she was dancing with the Prince, and she didn't look like she wanted to get away anytime soon. Naruto stayed near the edge of the circle which had formed around the pair, simply watching them dance. He felt a small smile tug at his lips as he saw how happy Ino looked, swept up in her Prince's arms. For her, he knew, this was complete and utter bliss.

He felt a tiny bit of guilt tug at his heart-strings as he caught the Uchiha's expression. To most he would've looked expressionless, maybe even a tiny bit happy at having found a suitable wife, but Naruto could see that beyond that he looked decidedly sad. Deceived. _Cheated._

Naruto shook his head, but the guilt stayed firmly lodged in his throat. A little part inside him kept telling him that really it hadn't been his fault. The Prince had taken a liking for an imaginary girl, one who didn't exist.

_And I most definitely can't show up _now_. Or ever again. He can't know I exist. _He frowned again, stepping away from the pair, knowing that it would take a few more hours before he could get Ino alone. _Especially since it would endanger the other, more important thing I have to do. _

With that thought lodged firmly in his mind, he suppressed the guilt and threw it into some deep corner in his heart.

Ino was a good person; when she liked someone, she did whatever was in her power to keep that person well and safe; with time, the Prince would grow to truly like her as well, maybe even love her. Naruto smiled. He truly hoped that she's find happiness someday. She'd been good to him often, when no one else would've. She had taken him in without questioning him when he'd been a little beggar boy, and had nurtured him back to health whenever he fell ill. As she'd grown, she'd become just a little more selfish and arrogant towards him, but Naruto knew that was expected. She was a Princess and he was her servant. The fact that she was still pretty nice, and sometimes treated him as an equal, to him exceeded anything he would've imagined. And it was much better than most others got.

He reached the edge of the ball-room and deposited his now empty tray on one of the many deserted tables. Naruto patted his front pocket to check that his dagger was there. He'd brought more than the one that Sasuke had taken, mostly as a precaution, and was now supremely glad he'd thought of it.

He sensed someone behind him and, forcing himself to relax, he spun around with a smile on his face, hoping it wasn't someone dangerous. In front of his was a stunned Kiba. Naruto's smile turned into a grin.

"Sorry. I don't like being surprised."

Kiba's eyes were huge. Then he let out a laugh and put one arm over Naruto's shoulders. "That was cool, man! How'd you know I was there? Did you hear me? I was sure I was being really quiet!"

Naruto laughed. "Nah. I just have this sort of sixth sense...no one has ever sneaked up on me yet."

Kiba smirked. "Then you better watch out, Kyuubi! I'm so gonna get you some day!"

"Sure, sure, keep dreaming Kiba."

"I'm serious!"

"So am I."

"Hey...!"

Naruto laughed. Then he pulled away from Kiba, hoping the other boy hadn't gotten any of his clothes dirty from Naruto's hair. That would blow his cover right off, and Naruto knew he wouldn't have a real explanation for the brown color then.

Naruto frowned a tiny bit. He'd have to dye his hair, not permanently, but at least get a decent spell; one that lasted preferably around a week or so. He couldn't afford one every day, but to have it on for too long wouldn't work either.

Kiba turned to look at the other Princesses. "Hey, what do you say we go around and flirt a little with the ladies?"

Naruto grinned, but shook his head. "I don't know. What would they think?"

"Oh, nothing, it's alright. They all know it's in good fun anyways. After all, they've already gotten chosen over by that Yamanaka girl, and they're all single. Besides, what sane girl would pass over a handsome guy like me?"

Naruto laughed outright at that, giving Kiba a friendly punch in the shoulder.

"None of them, I'm sure. Alright, I'm game."

Kiba's smile turned up at the corners just the tiniest bit. For a few seconds, Naruto regretted his choice, but by now it was too late.

"Alrighty. There are only a few rules. No kissing, anywhere except hand, no touching unless she starts it, and you can't lie about yourself; as in, you can't say you're another Prince or a friend of Sasuke's or whatever, okay?"

Naruto nodded, starting to get exited at the prospect of the game. For a moment, he put his further goals in the back burner and prepared to have some fun.

* * *

Naruto smiled charmingly as he went up to a brunette who had just approached the drinks table. She had selected a glass and was about to lift a bottle to fill it when Naruto intervened. Gently he took the bottle from her hands and, flashing her a charming smile, filled her glass. She returned the gesture, lifting her glass and taking a small sip from it before placing it back down on the table. Naruto gently took one of her hands in his own and placed a soft kiss on the top. The girl giggled in girlish delight.

"Excuse me for my actions, but you are so beautiful I couldn't help myself. May I know what your name is?"

The girl blushed prettily.

"My name is Tenten. I'm a lady from the Kingdom of the West. And who may you be, sir?"

"My name is Kyuubi. I am Prince Sasuke's humble servant. If there is anything you need, I shall get it for you, Lady. So do not hesitate to ask."

She giggled again, retrieving her hand from Naruto's.

"It is very nice to meet you, Kyuubi. So, for how long have you been Prince Sasuke's servant?"

"Not long at all, lady. In fact, I just started working for him an-"

"Tenten! I've been looking for you. Where were you? And who are you talking to?"

Naruto wondered for moment if someone up above hated him. With growing dread he turned to look at the last person he wanted to see anywhere near him; the green-eyed monster herself.

Sakura, for one, didn't recognize him, and instead approached him with a haughty air. Naruto had to suppress a growl and instead managed to bring forth another charming, if quite a bit less believable, smile. At this, Sakura's distaste cracked a little.

"You are Princess Sakura, are you not? I've heard a lot about you, but not one of the stories made you out to be quite as beautiful as you are."

The Princess blushed, her eyes wide as she looked over Naruto and considered him worthy of her attentions.

"Why thank you...?"

"Kyuubi."

"Why thank you, Kyuubi. I'm deeply flattered." With that she batted her eyelashes at Naruto. He was torn between wanting to puke and celebrating his victory. Instead, he turned to Tenten. "It seems I must be the luckiest guy in this room, to be surrounded by such beauties." At this Sakura edged closer to Naruto, who had to bit his lip to keep from edging away. "However, and you must excuse me ladies, I must retire to prepare for this nights' end."

Truly, Naruto had no idea when the dance was going to end, but he was pretty sure it couldn't be for much longer. As if on cue, the music suddenly decreased in volume significantly and the lights dimmed to near-darkness. Naruto squinted for a few seconds, waiting for his eyes to get accustomed to the lighting, when suddenly he felt a prickling on his neck, and his arms being pulled backwards and he was pulled right to the wall.

"I saw you talking to both Princess Sakura and Lady Tenten! You sure are a ladies' man, aren't you? Why didn't you tell me, Kyu?"

Naruto let out a deep breath as he realized it was Kiba again.

"And I bet you didn't get any. You aren't jealous, are you Kiba?"

Kiba had the grace to look offended as he pressed himself to the wall besides Naruto and huffed indignantly. Naruto had to suppress a chuckle.

"How dare you get off insulting me in such a way? I was getting buried under them, if you must know! They were coming at me in hordes."

Naruto chuckled. He couldn't help himself; the opening was just too perfect.

"I'm sure you were Kiba, I'm sure you were. In multiple women, you say? At the same time? That must have been quite a feat. I wonder how you managed?"

For second, Kiba looked confused. Then he turned beet red.

"Oh God! Kyuubi, you're such a pervert! I did _not_ mean it like that! God!"

Naruto laughed into his hand, trying not to be too loud as Kiba beside him sputtered and choked. Suddenly, the music stopped completely and Naruto quickly placed his hand over Kiba's mouth to keep from making a scene from how loud the boy was being. Over-head, on the rail were Sasuke had been before, now stood King Fugaku, the leader of the whole of the Kingdom of the North. A light was shining on him, and another was shining on the pair below. For a moment, there was complete silence. No one moved as the King surveyed every single person present. Then he spoke:

"People of the Kingdom! Ladies and Princesses! Tonight is indeed a very happy night, for today, my son Sasuke has finally chosen a bride and your new Queen!"

There was thunderous applause as the King finished speaking. Then he coughed to once again get the people's attention.

"I hope that as many of you as possible shall attend the wedding, which shall take place in two weeks! It shall be hosted right here, in this very ball-room to celebrate the union of two souls who managed to find each other through a sea of loneliness. I hope that we shall see more of you hear as well. For now, this Ceremony of Choosing has ended! May you all have a good night and live long, happy lives!"

There was another round of deafening applause as the King finished speaking. Below the stand, the Prince and the Princess turned to face each other. For a few seconds nothing happened, then Ino bent forwards to press a kiss into Sasuke's lips; they met briefly, then Sasuke pulled back, giving Ino a tiny, forced smile.

Suddenly, Naruto had a strange feeling in the back of his neck.

From the other side of the room, across the hundreds of people and the overbearing darkness, Sasuke's head turned.

His eyes seemed to scan through the crowd, then suddenly they landed right on Naruto and held his gaze. Even through the huge space separating them, the blonde could see the Prince's eyes narrowing, his temper rising, his magic flaring up around him with anger. Naruto felt his throat clench as panic as he'd never felt before washed through him. Even when he'd sometimes had to resort to...other measures, the magical pressure hadn't been anywhere _near_ what he was feeling now. He shivered involuntarily as a wave of freezing air swept through him. The sheer coldness which suddenly stretched across the room was suffocating, and he felt cold sweat break across his brow, his breath picking up.

Overhead, the soft lights seemed to have lost all of their warmth, as they shone down on him he felt as though they were showering him in a cold haze. The darkness which before had simply hidden him suddenly felt oppressing as their gazes held on across the room, the rest of the world dissapearing until nothing was left but him, the Prince, and the sheer coldness that seemed to seep into his bones and freeze him. He tried to snatch his eyes away, but the intensiy and the sheer _power_ held him there, unable to move and unable to stop the icy hand which seemed to curl around his throat, slowly but surely constricting on his heart, slowly but surely squeezing the last of his control, and if this continued he wouldn't be able to hold back and then...

_'Sometimes, I'm not sure why I bother when you don't trust me at least this much to help you.'_

Naruto felt his middle right finger twitch.

In one sudden blast of red, hot air the coldness disappeared and the world around him seemed to move again. However, his relief was short-lived as he felt a sort of nausea overcome him and darkness start eating at his vision. The last thing he heard before collapsing was Kiba's concerned voice asking if he was alright.

* * *

Ok now I really won't post anymore until around 3 more weeks. Don't hurt me! . ---puppy eyes

But I hope you liked this chapter. I wasn't going to make the confrontation until later, but decided that the next two weeks before the wedding would be too boring if I did.

- G


	4. Magical Denial

Haha! Everyone must bow down to me, Gabriel the Magical Genie who has managed to find internet! *bows*

Well, I really did manage to find a laptop, but I'm not too sure I'll be able to use it much longer, which makes me really sad. It's kinda in the house of my parent's friends and well, we're not staying here much longer.

Anyways, for anyone who cares, I'm doing wonderfully right now and hoping the trip doesn't have to end. ^^

Which it won't, since it just started but hey, you never know. *knocks on wood*

Okay now, I'll stop blabbing and let you get on with the story. This one's not too much on the plot, but it's not filler either. As in, there's no physical action but... well you'll see.

Chapter 4

'Because finding something and making it yours is the difference between breathing through life, or dancing.'

* * *

Naruto woke up thanks to the light filtering right onto his face. His brain, unconsciously remembering its last moment of awareness, instantly snapped into panic mode, and he opened his eyes wide; then hurriedly closed them once again to shield from the light of the morning sun, which was shining way too bright. He groaned in pain as the back of his head started throbbing dully; it wasn't a sharp pain, or unbearable, but still felt strangely uncomfortable, as if something were wrapped around the back of his brain and was squeezing painfully. Next to him, he felt something shift and move for a few seconds and suddenly the painful light was cut off. Naruto opened his eyes once again, this time much warier. In front of him stood Kiba, who had just closed the window from which the sunlight had been streaming through and blinding Naruto. He turned and grinned at Naruto.

"Hey, how ya feeling?"

Naruto tried to sit up on the bed, but his head sent a sharp pain lacing through his back and he plopped down again, a pained groan escaping his lips.

"Oh, dandy. I feel like someone just drove an ax down my whole back."

Kiba winced sympathetically as he plopped down on the bed next to Naruto.

"When you fainted I called one of the healers; she looked over you and said that you had nothing physically, just were completely exhausted. She wasn't completely sure, but she said it probably was from magic use. Why didn't you tell me you could use magic?"

Naruto lay there fore a few seconds, panic gripping him for a moment before his schooled his features, turning his head to look at Kiba strangely.

"I can't."

"Why not? You know, it's not like I'll tell anyone if you don't want me to. Besides, no ones gonna hurt you or anything. Witch hunts are kinda not legal anymore."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "No, I mean, I can't use magic."

Kiba lifted an eyebrow at him. "The healer said you fainted from magic use. That kinda means you have to be able to use magic, ya know?."

Naruto grimaced as he tried to shake his head and another searing pain ran through his back. He glared at Kiba instead.

"I'm not lying. I can't use magic. I've never been able to use it in my life. Why now?"

"But the healer said-"

"I know what the healer said!" Naruto snapped. At Kiba's surprised expression, Naruto blushed and lowered his eyes. He mentally cursed himself at allowing the rage to overtake him. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually this bad tempered. I don't know what's wrong with me."

Kiba's expression softened. "Hey, its ok, man. No harm done."

Naruto looked up at him with a small smile, and decided that right now was not the time to test his overlly volatile temper.

"So…how long was I out?"

Kiba shrugged. "Not much. Just a few hours. You fainted around 11:30. Its 7:00."

Naruto's eyes widened. _That has to be the longest I've been out because of his fault._ "7:00? Wait, have you been taking care of me all night?"

Kiba laughed. "No way. Well, I first got really scared, ya know? You just suddenly collapsed out of nowhere, so I dragged you to the healer's room. Hers is much closer than mine is. She's really quick thought, the whole check-up just took about 20 minutes." Here he gave Naruto a quick grin. "I keep telling everyone she can use magic, and she's using it to help his healing thing, but does anyone believe me? No. Everyone's too scared that if Sasuke find out about another magician in his property he'll scare them away." His eyes narrowed. "Which might be a reason for you to hide whatever magic you have."

"I said-"

"I know what you said. But using magic -or knowing how to- and having magic are two completely different things. You may have a hidden magical power, which has just recently been triggered by something. It happens relatively often with magicians. Unless of course they have parents who are magicians; then children get tested early to see if they inherited the genes. Were you're parents magicians?"

"I don't know. They're dead."

Kiba's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to…er…"

"Don't worry, I never knew them anyways. I don't even know who they are."

Kiba looked at him with something that looked painfully like pity to Naruto, and he glared at Kiba.

"Don't give me that look, I'm not a helpless damsel in distress."

Kiba poked his head playfully. "I'm not too sure about the damsel part-"

"Hey!"

"-but you seem pretty helpless and distressed right now."

Naruto huffed indignantly. "Ya know, if I could move right now-"

"You can't move?" Kiba asked, his voice taking on a worried tone.

"Well, its not that I can't move. It just hurts like hell. As I said before, I feel as if someone drove an ax through my back. And every time I move that same bastard drives another ax a few times through the same wound."

"I thought you were exaggerating."

"Not really."

Kiba let out a low whistle. "O-ok then. Do you want me to call the healer?"

"The same one who said I'd fainted from magic use?" Naruto needed to know if she could sense magic or if it was simply a prognostic.

"Not if you're gonna be a bitch about it to her. She's kinda short-tempered about anyone saying she's wrong in her prognostics. There's a reason she's the Head Healer of the castle."

Naruto grinned.

"She's as good as that?"

Kiba nodded.

"Ok, I won't be a bitch."

Kiba laughed at that. Then he stood and left through the door right beside the bed Naruto was laying on.

For a few seconds Naruto just lay there, thinking of nothing. Then, growing bored, his mind started venturing into any thoughts which flitted by. The first one to really be brought to the forefront was that of the upcoming wedding.

The only thing Naruto knew was that it was taking place two weeks from yesterday, so everything was going to start getting busy really soon. From his experience, weddings normally took months to prepare, but he supposed that the King already had the basic thing planned out. After all, the place was the same room and really, all the main preparations had to be done on the same day, or really close to it, like the food and the dresses. Ino was probably already fussing about her dress, trying to make it look as perfect as possible. His lips twitched as he visualized the blonde running around a white dress, pinning things here and there, adding and cutting at the material until she deemed it perfect. Not many people knew, but Ino actually loved anything that had to do with clothing and tailoring. She liked to knit too, but what she really liked was buying the fabric and shaping it into the actual clothes.

Naruto's thought wandered to the groom. What did he like? Did he enjoy clothing too? He nearly laughed at the picture _that_ thought brought forth.

He wondered how the Prince and Ino were getting along. His mouth twitched amusedly. Maybe the King was worried that the Princess would be such a bitch -since Sasuke didn't really have that much time to choose- that the Prince would try to get rid of her, so that was why the wedding was so soon. Then the grin dropped right off his face as he imagined Sasuke trying to off Ino. He nearly growled, his protective instincts awakened.

He tried to once again move his head. A pain, duller than the first two times, nicked his lower back; Naruto ignored it as he managed to prop himself up on his elbows. His neck throbbed from the effort of holding his head up, and Naruto bit his tongue as he pushed up with his hands, trying to sit up.

Just as he managed to sit straight, he heard a strange crack in his back, and suddenly he fell forwards, his muscles and bones completely jelly.

It was as if a pressure valve had just been opened, and all the stress and stiffness from before just disappeared as strange warmth enveloped Naruto's body. He shook his head sharply, feeling strangely drowsy; his hand unconsciously rose up to start massaging his temples. Almost unwillingly, his legs stretched under the covers of the bed, then moved sideways to slide off the edge. He gripped the edge of the matt harshly, wondering if it was safe to try to stand. Then, deciding he lost nothing by just trying, he pushed forwards. His legs wobbled for a second, then normalized. Naruto took one step forwards, and his knees collapsed under him. He let out a startled yelp as he fell in one ungraceful heap. His breath came out labored, as if he'd just ran instead of just tried to walk. He mentally cursed at his weakness. At that moment, the door opened.

"Hey, Kyuubi, you okay in there? I heard a yelp."

"I'm okay, Kiba."

The other boy entered the room and, seeing Naruto on the floor rushed to help him stand and took him back to the bed.

"Hey, how did you get off the bed? I thought you said yo couldn't move."

"I don't know; I was just laying there, waiting for you to come back, when I decided to try and move again. The pain was less, so I managed to kind of sit up. Then my back cracked weirdly; it didn't hurt, I just kinda heard a crack; and I felt as if all the stiffness in my body just disappeared. It was so weird. It was like I was like a liquid, or something."

Kiba scratched the back of his head. "Well that's weird. Maybe you used magic to heal yourself. Not actually consciously, but when magicians are in trouble, they're magic just kind of acts on its own. Survival first, always."

Naruto nodded, trying not to roll his eyes. He quickly decided that if Kiba was going to be an ass about his magic, then he'd at least humor the teen, rather than face a full investigation. "You know, I was thinking a little, and saying that I have magic actually makes a lot of sense. I always thought that I healed strangely quickly in a lot of occasions. No healers could explain it, and eventually they just passed it off as a miracle." He looked around. "What about that healer you talked about?"

"Oh well, she's kind of busy right now. It seems that the King had another relapse."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Relapse?"

Kiba nodded gravely. "Yeah, he's recently been getting this disease which not many people have heard of. Healer says it's lethal. She's doing all she can to help him, but all she can do is prolong his life for a few more months. She says he won't see the New Year." Kiba's voice decreased in volume as he spoke, his eyes taking in a somber look. Naruto bit his lip, trying to hide his joviality at the news.

"I'm sorry."

Kiba shook his head. "Its okay. I've known he was going to die some time ago. I still can't really get over it, though. Fugaku was like a father to me. He took me in when I was a small kid. Sasuke and I became close friends kinda fast, which is mostly why he asked me to become his personal servant when he could. We're still good friends, but we can't spend nearly as much time together. You know, since we're in such different social classes and all that."

Naruto grinned.

"Yeah, its exactly like that with me and Ino."

Kiba looked at him strangely. "Ino, as in Princess Ino who's about to become our queen? How come?"

Naruto swore under his breath. "Well, I'm kinda her personal servant. Since I couldn't really go with her to the party, I got Prince Sasuke to enter me as a waiter. That way I could still take care of her and not look weird following her around."

Kiba chuckled. "Wow. You're one lucky bastard. You're going to be a Royal Servant now."

Naruto laughed softly. "Yeah, I just hope that we can stay friends once she becomes the true Queen. Lately we've been drifting apart a lot. I mean, we're still in really good terms and all, but we don't joke like we used to. To me, she's like the sister I never had. To her I'm probably a friend who will do anything you want. It's a pretty unbalanced relationship between us. But I'm not complaining. I'm really glad to have met Ino at all, and I know that I'm really lucky to have gotten such a nice person to be my Master. I've heard of plenty of stories about servants who get abused regularly."

Kiba sighed.

"Yeah, I actually have a friend who used to be beaten up a lot, but then I got him hooked up with the prince. He's a really good magician now; In fact he's the royal magician of the court. He's pretty reserved, but overall a really good guy."

"What's his name? Maybe I know him."

"Hyuuga Neji."

Naruto's eyes widened as he hid his growing panic. _He's here? Hyuuga's here?! Shit!_ "That guy? He was beaten up as a kid? Wow. I've heard a lot of stories about him in the court. They say that he's the fourth best magic-user in the whole of the Kingdom."

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean third?"

Naruto looked at him weirdly. "No, I mean fourth."

"Well, we have Fugaku and Sasuke, but who else is…oh."

"Yeah well. We can't really say his name anyways, but you know who I'm talking about."

Kiba snorted. "It's stupid thought. It's not as if Ita-"

Naruto hurriedly clamped a hand over Kiba's mouth.

"God, Kiba! Do you _want_ to get us trouble?"

Kiba took Naruto's hand off his mouth.

"I don't believe that crap. I mean, its not as if he's gonna hunt down every single person who says his name. If that were true I'd be dead twenty times over."

"I don't believe that crap either. But I do believe the crap that says that if the King or Prince hear you say his name, _they_ will hunt you down and kill you."

Kiba gulped, looking around the room nervously.

Naruto grinned, then decided to play his part up a bit. "Hey, so where is Hyuuga? Or is he so high and mighty that I may never get within ten feet of him?"

"Nah. After all, you aren't just anybody right now. You're the Queen's private servant. That counts for a lot, you know. There are hundreds of people out there who would kill to be in your place right now."

"I'd rather not have to fight."

Kiba snorted. "What, don't know how?"

"Hey, hey. Don't insult me, dog-breath. I survived in the streets for a while. I know how to fight pretty good."

Kiba whistled, then he grinned dangerously, showing off his sharp canines. "I'll have to take you on sometime. Show off for the ladies, you know?"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Kiba stood hurriedly.

"That's probably the healer. She said she'd come over as soon as the King was taken care of."

He moved to the door and opened it, quickly stepping to the side so that the healer could enter the room.

As soon as they entered, Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my god! What are you- I thought you were dead!"

* * *

Another chappy finished!!

Here's a large part of Naruto inner phsyche in what it refers to Ino. Sorry, no Ino-bashing. I'm not particularly her fan, but I think that her being a clingy bitch who hates Naruto and who Naruto hates back isn't too realistic. And besides, it's too cliche.

Also, for the next part of the story, I'm not sure what I want to do, so I'd like the reviewers to choose what they'd like to read.

A.) Naruto's relashionship with Kiba deepens and he learns about the castle life. (No yaoi yet here.)

B.) Sakura appears once again. (Not saying how, that would ruin it. But it'll be comical, I promise.)

C.) Naruto starts developing the plans for that 'mission thing' he has. (It involves action and a little blood, so its interesting. And its pretty big on the plot. It would come up eventually anyways. Here comes the drama.)

D.) Naruto bumps into Neji and their magic reacts. (No yaoi here, either. But an interesting explanation on magic reactions and magic lessons ensue.)

So there are the options. Please tell me what I you'd like to read, I have ideas for all of them, so I promise anyone which is chosen will be good. If you especially want one option, then give me details on ideas you'd like to see written. That would help kill any writer's block which might strike.

Well, with this I leave you. I'll try to post soon, but no promises. Maybe I'll find some other internet somewhere. ^^

- G


	5. Past Found

**(Update!!-- Yes, I decided to update most of the chapters. Once I gave them a look-through, I knew they needed corrections. So here it is!!!)**

Hiya!! Well, all in all I haven't yet taken time to say thank you to all of the reviewers. You guys are awesome! Without you I couldn't keep this story going.

Oh and I'm soooooo sorry for taking so long to update. I have no excuse except to say that internet is kinda hard to find sometimes, and that I LOVE SNOWBOARDING.

Okay, since a lot of people have been asking for D, the magic thingy, then that's what's going to happen! And a little bit of a surprise will take place in this chapter as well.

Also, I have to say thank you to all those people's comments. It really makes me happy when people review saying that this isn't the type of story they normally read, but like this one. It make me feel like I'm really doing something right here. ^^

I wish you happy times and joyful reading! Now, on with the story.

**Chapter 5**

'_**Magic is what binds us all together. There is magic in everything; in the air, in the sun. In every blade of grass we step on, there is magic. Some people just can't see it.'**_

_

* * *

_

Naruto sat up on the bed in shock, completely forgetting about his pain. His eyes widened as his mind came up blank with reasons on why, _how_, was Tsunade alive right now. And as the Royal Court's head Healer, no less!

Tsunade gave him a strange look, her eyes narrowed. Kiba looked between them, his eyes confused and apprehensive.

"Wait, you guys know each other?"

Tsunade opened her mouth to respond in the negative, but suddenly her eyes widened in disbelief and her jaw dropped. Then, composing herself, she turned to Kiba.

"Excuse me, Kiba, but could you leave me and…Kyuubi alone for a moment? There are a few things I need to ask him." Here she turned back to Naruto, her eyes narrowed in annoyance, but underneath the front Naruto could see blatant shock and disbelief.

Kiba sent him a strange look, and he managed to shrug, as if he had no idea what Tsunade was talking about. Then he sighed, and exited the room. As soon as the door closed, both sides exploded.

"Tsudane! I thought you were dead!"

"I thought _you_ were dead! And why does Kiba call you Kyuubi?!"

"How come you're the head healer of the _Royal Court_?"

"How come you're here in the castle, dressed like a waiter, and why the hell is your hair brown and long?"

"Why didn't you try to contact me?"

"I already told, I thought you were dead or had run away!"

Here Naruto paused. Then his face broke into a huge smile.

"I…I'm glad you're ok. I thought you were…gone…for so long. I'm really glad to see you again."

Tsunade's eyes widened, then she dropped the bag she was holding and jumped onto the bed, stifling Naruto in a huge bear hug.

"Brat, I'll never go away again. I'm sorry. I'm really glad you're alive too." When she pulled away, she had tears in her eyes. Naruto flashed her a crooked smile.

"You're crying, baa-san. It's making your eyes turn red and puffy."

Tsunade lifted a finger and brushed off the tears.

"I see you're still as disrespectful as ever." From anyone else it would have sounded like a scolding, but her voice was filled with such warmth and familiarity that there was no way anyone could have interpreted it as anything else than friendly banter.

"Always."

They sat in silence for a few more moments, taking in each other's faces, memorizing the lines and the changes; after all, 11 years really was a long time.

"So, how come you're hair's brown? And c'mon brat, _Kyuubi?_ Need any other bad ideas for a nickname?"

Naruto sighed. "Long story." His eyes saddened at the way Tsunade spoke his alias.

Tsunade's eyes widened in concern. "Well, I'm not going anywhere, brat." She eyed the crusty, oily substance on his hair. "And, if you really want to dye your hair, I recommend something other than that weird paste you used."

Naruto blushed slightly. "Yeah well, I didn't really have much time to think. And it looked much better yesterday."

Tsunade snorted. "It's a wonder Kiba didn't notice. Or well, not really. He never was much for noticing things that should be obvious. So now you tell me. Everything."

Naruto groaned. "I will, but first I would really appreciate it if you could try to get me rid of this strange nick in my back. Its really annoying, and sometimes extremely painful, especially when I first felt it."

Tsunade's face immediately turned serious. "Where does it hurt? Turn over on your stomach so I can start inspecting you're back. I'm going to start touching your spinal cord, and if it hurts in one spot particularly, tell me, okay?"

Naruto nodded, then he lay back down and turned around, laying his head to the side. Behind him, Tsunade carefully placed her hands on his back and started pressing softly on the pressure points all along the spine. Naruto felt his muscles relax slowly, the strange feeling of pressure leaving his body overtaking him once again.

Then suddenly, as Tsunade pressed at a point near the end of the spine, he felt sharp, searing pain run through his whole body. A familiar rage and fear reared up in him, and he growled low in his throat, his body twisting so that he was poised on his hands and knees almost immediately. He felt his breath hitch as red flashed through his vision, the old feeling of _power_ which he hadn't allowed out in so long momentarily overtaking him.

Then his body _pulsed_.

Almost immediately, he felt the pain in his body subside. His thoughts turned cloudy and he collapsed onto the bead, his breathing fast and shallow, his extremities numb, the red subsiding.

Tsunade was propelled backwards and onto the floor from the strange pulse. She looked at him with a shocked and scared expression. The feeling of magic –raw, potent _power_- which had radiated off of him in that…_pulse…_had been almost overwhelming and she quickly stood and backed off a few more steps, wondering if, even if his now seemingly exhausted state, the boy could be dangerous. She was startled out of her thoughts as the doors to the room burst open.

"Were is he? What's going on here?"

She spun on her heels to stare, surprised, as Neji Hyuuga stormed into the room, his eyes wide and panicked. He turned his misty gaze on Tsunade, his eyes searching, his magic feeling.

"No, its not you…" he murmured distractedly, his eyes sweeping over the rest of the room, then coming to rest on the sprawled Naruto. His gaze narrowed and he stalked quickly towards the blonde.

Tsunade's protective instincts came into play right then, and she hurriedly stepped between Neji and his prey, more afraid of Neji than of the unmoving Naruto.

Neji stopped.

"Move, Tsunade. This man's a murderer." His voice was calm, but his eyes held steel and anger, coupled with fear and shock. Tsunade would've been surprised at how much emotion he was showing had the situation not been so tense.

She shook her head.

"No."

Neji's eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously.

"Did you feel that wave of power, Tsunade? It was pure hatred, pure of malicious intent, pure of the need to torture and _kill_. And besides I've only ever heard of one person who had that sort of signature in them."

Tsunade shivered: she couldn't help it. However, she refused to budge from her position in front of the blonde.

"Maybe so, but this kid is no threat to anyone. I can verify. Beisde, feel him now; can you sense anything malicious from him?"

Neji glared at her for a moment, then allowed tendrils of magic to extend towards Naruto. The blonde's own magic rose up from his body and shyly touched with Neji's. A strange electric sound sparked in the space between the two boys, and Naruto suddenly sat up, his eyes wide and panicked, a flash of red passing through them before settling once again on vibrant blue. His magic reared up from Neji's, hissing protectively around the frightened boy on the bed, eerily similar to an angered snake. Neji's eyes widened, then, as recognition seemed to register in his mind, closed. His whole demeanor changed in a moment as his magic, which had before encountered Naruto's with Neji's feelings of fright and anger intertwined into it, now approached with caution. This time, calm and peacefullness extended through the tendrils. His magic extended once again between them, reaching for Naruto's.

Neji had realized then what he'd obviously missed before. Of course the boy's magic would react so agressively if his own magic was feeling as agressive as it had been. Simple defence.

On the bed, Naruto shivered as his felt his mind convulse in aggressiveness, the rage and evilness threatening to break out as he pushed it back to the back of his mind. He felt a strange need to bolt as he felt…._something_…approach.

Reacting to his confused feelings, Naruto's magic swerved and sprung at Neji's, who deftly avoided the attack and instead advanced and prodded softly at a side.

This time, no sparks flew, and instead the blonde's magic turned slowly towards the new sensation.

As if they were two animals who had never seen anything like the other before, the two tendrils stretched and touched tenderly; before long they started intertwining into each other. For about three second, they seemed to merge, and a soft glow emanated from them.

Suddenly, Naruto's magic retreated swiftly and back into Naruto's body, who shivered and fell onto the bed, exhausted.

Neji's magic was sling-shot back at him so strongly that his eyes whipped open and he took an involuntary step backwards.

His thoughts were in turmoil as he looked at the now sleeping blonde on the bed. His magic had registered nothing evil or bad about the other boy, and in fact had seemed attracted to it in a strange way. He shook his head, then turned to Tsunade. She was watching him with wary eyes as she shifted nervously. He looked at her evenly.

"He's…not a menace. But I still don't know what I felt before was. I will not harm him, Tsunade, you have my word of it," he said, answering Tsunade's unasked question. She relaxed but did not step away from her position in between both boys; she didn't trust that evasive glint in the Hyuuga's eyes. Neji took a step back, turning his gaze back to Naruto.

"What's his name?"

Tsunade's eyes widened. "N…Kyuubi. His name's Kyuubi."

Neji narrowed his eyes for a moment. "Kyuubi…do you know what that name implies?" His gaze narrowed on the boy. "You're not lying to me, are you Tsunade?"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Do you doubt me, Hyuuga?"

She felt panic grip her, and fought not to show it; if Neji decided he did, in fact, doubt her, he would be able to get the truth out sooner or later. Sooner rather than later, if he decided it was important enough to hurt her. She shivered involuntarily.

Neji closed his eyes. Gently, he extended a tiny trickle of magic out to Tsunade. His magic touched her neck, right above her collar-bone. He could fell the fear radiating out of her, and felt slightly guilty knowing that it was due to him. He decided to withdraw; at least for now.

He bowed slightly in respect for the older woman, and them turned and exited the room, sparing the snoozing boy on the bed another glace before he was gone. He closed the door silently behind him.

Tsunade let out a sigh of relief as soon as he was gone, then turned her worried gaze to Naruto. She approached his bed and sat down next to him, petting his head softly, brushing off the flaking pieces of paste which had begun to clot.

"Oh, brat, what have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Naruto awoke with a huge headache. He let out a low moan of pain as he gripped his head, rubbing his temples slowly.

"Don't get up, brat, you need as much rest as you can get. And you have a lot of explaining to do."

Naruto turned startled to his side, his eyes wide. As soon as he spotted the blonde healer, his lips broke into a smile.

"Baa-san! You're still here!"

Tsunade grinned weakly at him. "I promised I wouldn't leave you, brat. I don't break promises that easily, you know?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly, raking a hand through his hair, then immediately taking it out at the horrible feeling of dry grease. He grimaced.

"Hey, baa-san, do you have anything to get this out of my hair? And also, do you have some non-permanent hair dye? Or know someone who can cast a spell so my hair can stay brown for some time?"

Tsunade looked thoughtful for a moment. "I can take that…gook…of your hair easily, and I can probably ask Neji to cast a spell for you. However, we are going to have to make something up for him. In fact, you have yet to tell _me_ why in the seven worlds have you painted for beautiful hair with this…stuff. And also, why you are wearing extensions? Not that they don't look good, but I never really saw you as the type of guy to wear them."

Naruto grimaced playfully. "Ask Ino and her strange ideas."

Tsunade's eyebrows rose. "Ino? As in, Princess Ino who is about to become the queen?"

Naruto nodded.

Tsunade's eyes widened so much Naruto seriously thought they would pop out.

"You, brat, have a _lot_ of explaining to do. And you'll do it now."

Naruto sighed, resigned to his fate. And so, he started to tell Tsunade about how his life had been since they'd been separated, eleven years ago.

"Well, I guess I should start on the last day I was at the orphanage. It was around 6 in the morning when I woke up…"

* * *

Whoot! Another chappy finished. I can't help but feel happy and proud of myself. *grins* Anyways, I just wanted so say thank you once again to my awesome readers and reviewers. You guys are the best, and you are seriously what keep me motivated. I never really realized just how much reviews help a writer until I started writing myself. If you're a fanfic written, you'll understand how I feel too. ^^

Ok, as a warning (well its not really a warning, just a bit of a heads-up) in the next chapter there will be several flashbacks explaining a bit of Naruto's past life. This wil lead to clearing some confusions which people might have.

Hope you enjoyed. And please review! I really appreciate it. You should see me when I see I got another review. So happy. ^^

-G


	6. Love and Hell

Mornin'! Well here I am again! And I'm soooooo sorry for the late update, but as most of you know, it's just a little too hard to find internet sometimes!! But I'm still sooooo very sorry!!!!

First of all I just wanted to start by saying thank you to some special readers who have stayed with me and given me a lot of support and things to laugh about.

- HieiAijin1410 (I luveeeee your webpage. The quotes make me laugh so much. Seriously, I'd love to meet people like those. 'Specially the one who said the comment about 'Carnivorous cows!! -- Should.....be.....avoided?' I laughed so hard and couldn't stop repeating it all day. ^^)

- sasodei-iz-awesome (NOOOO!! Itadei is awesome!!!! Hehehe, Sasodei is okay thought. ;P And thanks for your comments. They help!)

- darkkoi (BTW, you said something about the song 4 minutes right? Yeah, its close, but the original phrase is actually from the Bible and it's not exactly what I put [what I put _is_ from the song] but still! You get cookie!! Now imagine its gooeyness in your hand and take a BIG bite…)

- Heynick (Thanks sooooo much for all your reviews! Seriously, it means a lot to me that you've stayed with me through-out the writing process. Hope others are too! I actually tried to look for your webpage before I realized that you didn't have one. I was like *.* But oh well. Huge-y huggy. ^^ Lurve ya.)

And to all the other people who were awesome enough to review I send you all a HUGE HUGEHUGE thank you hug which I will not be able to actually perpetrate since I am sitting on the other side of a computer screen. And we all thought life wasn't sad enough...

Well enough with the chitty chatty! But before I commence another chappy, I shall introduce my personal beta, who is sitting right beside me and reading what I write!

**Adrianne: Wait...what? I never said I wanted any part of this!**

**Gabe: Too bad. So sad. Boo hoo. Take a hike.**

**Adrianne: You're so mean sometimes. Although recently you've been kinda weird. What's all that been about?**

**Gabe: Yeah well, my mom asked me what I did in the comp all day. And really, what was I supposed to say? "Yes mom, I sit here for hours reading and writing hard core yaoi. Want to read some?"**

**Adrianne: *laughs* Hey! Remember that day when we were with you're mom and she started talking about your birds and the rabid bees and I laughed so hard and she looked at me weird and...**

**Gabe: You know what's the difference between you and Bill Gates?**

**Adrianne: .......is this a trick question?**

**Gabe: I can't kill Gates and get away with it quite as easily. **

**Adrianne: *backs away* What was I talking about? I suddenly can't remember... So weird! So-o...anyone want a cookie?**

**Gabe: Good girl. Now, on with the story!**

**Chapter 6**

_**'Because our past is the one thing we can't change and can't escape from, and so it should be the one thing we fear most of all.'**_

It was 6 in the morning when Naruto woke up. He stretched languidly in his bed, his muscles and joints popping silently as he sighed in contentment. He looked around the room happily, a smile threatening to split his face in two as he spotted the tiny fox which sat on the floor next to him with a small blue bow tied around its neck. He pulled off his tattered bed sheet and swung his blistered feet over the edge of the bed, making a soft plopping noise as he ran towards the stuffed animal. Gathering it into his arms, he let a sigh escape him as he nearly squeezed the stuffing out of it, burying his golden hair into the fox's soft, orange fluffiness. He raised his head as he heard a quiet chuckle come from the door. He let out a little yelp as he ran to the man and jumped into his arms, squealing all the while. The man staggered a bit, his smile not faltering as he smiled down at the boy in his arms.

"There, there. Do you like it?"

Naruto looked up at him and smiled and nodded furiously.

"I love it, Iruka-sensei! It's just awesome! Iloveitiloveitiloveit! Thank you soooooo much!!"

Iruka smiled kindly down at him. "I'm glad Naruto-chan. How a-"

Naruto huffed and puffed out his cheeks in mock anger. "Not -chan!"

Iruka looked confused for a second before he smiled down at him. "Okay, okay. Don't get angry, Naruto-kun."

The seven year-old Naruto smiled at him, then jumped from his arms and landed on the ground adroitly, the fox still clutched tightly in his hands.

"Hey, Iru-san? Can we please go to the fair today? Please? You promised I could! Pleasepleaseplease!"

Iruka nodded, grabbing Naruto's hands and leading him out the door. "Of course we can. After all, I did promise."

Naruto squealed.

"But first, breakfast and a bath. You smell terrible, Naruto-chan-"

"NOT -CHAN!"

* * *

"Oh my god! Look at that Ru-san! It's so cool! What is it? What is it? It looks yummy!"  
Iruka smiled, looking at where his small charge was pointing towards.

"They're candy apples, Naruto. Would you like some?"

"Oh yey! Thanks Ru-san!" Iruka chuckled as Naruto ran towards the man who was passing around the candy. He jumped around hyperly and the man cast him a scarcely annoyed glance which was really hiding a sort of fondness towards the blonde child. He picked out one of the apples and gave it to Naruto, who gave him a huge smile and he started on the sweet, his tiny teeth attempting to bite through the hard crust without much success. The man gave him a crooked smile in return, and then turned to Iruka who was standing next to him and watching him with fatherly warmth.

"Are you his father? You don't look much alike."

Iruka managed a small chuckle.

"No, I'm not his father, but I'm taking care of him. How much are the candy apples?"

"Five coppers."

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Five? But just last week they were at three!"

The man shrugged. "The apples are costing more now too. King's orders."

Suddenly, Iruka felt a little shove next to his leg.

"That's a stupid order! Why would anyone want the apples to cost more if the people can't buy as many?"

The man looked at Naruto, surprised for a second. Then he let out a peal of laughter before ruffling the tiny blonde's hair.

"He's got some spike in him, the li'l tyke!"

Iruka laughed appreciatively, a warm sparkle entering his eyes.

"You have no idea."

Suddenly he heard a delighted squeal somewhere behind him an Iruka turned to see Naruto bending over the railing to get onto one of the Roller Coasters. Iruka quickly got him off and approached the man who sold the tickets.

"Can he get on this one?"

The man spared a glance at Naruto, who was jumping up and down with glee as the huge machine roared past.

"Sure!"

Naruto's high-pitched squeal was heard to the other side of the park.

It was dark by the time both of them started back towards the orphanage. Naruto's hair was covered in several uknown substances and Iruka was exhausted beyond belief as they trudged back to the building slowly. However, both were wearing huge smiles on their faces and sometimes Narut recounted some of what had happened that day and they both would crack up at the funniest parts.

Their laughter died down as they approached their destination, and the less reputable part of town. Naruto's hand interwove into Iruka's as they passed some of the darker side-streets, and everytime a cat ran past or something fell, he's let out a tiny shriek and strangled Iruka's hand. The sound of a fire engine roaring past, their engines nearly blasting their eardrums, caused Naruto to press to his mentor in fear. Iruka hugged the little boy close to him until the machine was far away, and they continued walking slowly. Only about 5 minutes away from the orphanage however, Iruka suddenly spied a tongue of flame rising above the other buildings. His eyes widened.

_No. Please no. Any other building, any other time!_

He struggled to remain calm as they drew nearer to their home. The sound of fire engines rose in volume significantly and now Naruto also noticed the sounds and the fire.

"Ru-san, what's going on?"

Iruka tightened his hold on Naruto's hand as they turned the last corner towards the structure and the orphanage came into view.

Or at least, what was left of it.

Naruto let out a strangled shriek of terror as the flaming inferno roared in front of him. Iruka's other hand was clenched into a tight fist and he suddenly started running towards the flaming building.

"Ru-san! RU-SAN! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!"

Iruka turned and ran back to Naruto, scooping the young boy into his arm and laying a soft kiss into the matted blonde hair. Then he looked directly into them, seriousness wiping away any lasting trace of terror from his eyes.

"Naruto, I want you to listen to me well okay?"

Naruto nodded, tears forming in his eyes from the smoke surrounding him, and the view of the orphanage, his home, his _family_, being consumed by the hungry flames.

"Naruto, I need to go in there. Please, don't try to follow me, and if I don't come back in a while..." he bit his lip, "Then I want you to find anyone you know, any boy or adult from the orphanage and stay with them, ok? And if you can't find anyone...Naruto, I want you to be safe. Promise me you'll stay safe no matter what happens. No matter what goes on, promise me you'll try to go on and be safe." A single tear fell down Iruka's cheek.

Naruto let out a strangled sob and launched into Iruka's arms, burying his face into the rough material of his mentor's shirt.

No. Not his mentor. Not his care-taker or his guardian or his teacher.

His father.

"Naruto..." Iruka's sentence cut in the middle as a sob stuck in his throat as well. "Promise me..."

"I promise, Iruka-san. I promise. I'll be safe...and you'll be safe too."

Iruka's eyes closed for a little while, but he couldn't deny the boy his only request. He unwrapped Naruto's eyes from his waist and held the boy at arm's length.

"Naruto...I love you. No matter what happens to you or to me, and no matter that we're not blood related, you'll always be, in my heart...my son."

Naruto's lips stretched into a thing smile. "I...love you too, Iruka-san. And you'll always be my Tou-san, too."

Iruka's lips stretched out, and he leaned forward to place one last kiss on Naruto's forehead. He murmured a few last words, then he turned and ran towards the flaming building. Naruto stood there for a little while, watching as Iruka went into the door and disappeared into the hell, his parting words repeating over and over in his mind.

_I'm sorry your birthday turned out like this. But always remember that life is what you make it to be. We all deserve and can earn love. But we can all earn and deserve hell, too. _

Later in life, when Naruto had already forgotten the specific words that had been said, he'd still always link them in his head.

Love and Hell.

* * *

Well, that's it for now! Sooooo sorry for the short chapter and the late update!!! I was actually going to make it much longer, but I decided that I'd rather leave Naruto's life in the streets and how he met Ino for another chapter.

Anyways, I need answers to some questions, so please tell me your opinions in reviews! They're always appreciated. You know that. ^-^

a) Naruto passes a year in the streets mostly alone, doing...interesting things before meeting Ino. (Some violence and possibly gory scenes here. Explains Kyuubi more thoroughly than other options.)

b) He goes around alone for a while before joining a small group of kids, around 5, and becoming a gang with them. (A lot more relationships between people. A lot more fluffy too.)

c) He joins an 'Escort Service' (An actual one, not those that are for prostitutes) for Princes and Princesses and from there meets Ino. (Some humor shall ensue from other patrons. Several gory scenes here too, but not as much as a).)

Those are the options! So go ahead and choose which one you think would be the best one. I warn you that in c) there will be some disturbing scenes, but it's the most humorous of the three. b) is nicer, but still not too nice, and it provides some other paths for later on in the plot. a) Is probably the most disturbing one in some aspects, but its pretty well fleshed out for me, and could fit well with the plot. ^^

- G


	7. A Necrophiliac's Hunger

WooT! I'm back!! And a lot earlier than I thought! Yush for meeee. Anyways, I've got the next chappy up right here! I must warn you, its longer than the other chapters, although not by too much. But to write it wasn't too bad, since this is an interesting part. BTW, I know this chapter will be confusing to some, but any questions, email me or something or tell me in a review and I will clear them up in the next post!! I live for those things, people. Don't disappoint me!! *pouts*

Before we start I wanted to put down a small note for HieiAijin1410, to who this flashback is dedicated to! (Feel the evilness of my irony ^w^)

HeieAijin1410: Thanks for staying with me and my evil flashbacks! I don't like them either, but this was necessary to explain a little of the blonde's psyche. Never beware, the next chapter won't be a flashback, since I've decided that meeting Ino can wait for our raven-haired beauty. ^^ 

**Yes, next chapter, Sasuke appears!!! (Tantantantuuuun...!!!!)**

**Chapter 7**

'_**Never fear death. Fear makes one run blindly. Running blindly leads to tripping. Tripping...well, you can guess that one.'**_

* * *

Kyuubi snorted flippantly as the man gripping his hand stumbled into the apartment. It was dark and they could barely see anything other than what the light from outside managed to shine on through the windows. Kyuubi adroitly maneuvered the man through the mess that was on the floor, taking his towards the stairs and the man's room. The man, Henninger, looked up at the blonde with a crooked smile on his stubby face as they reached the door, his eyes cloudy from the amount of alcohol. He rose up a course hand to brush it across Kyuubi's cheek.

"S' pretties..."

Kyuubi couldn't help the brief disgust that flashed through his features at the touch of the other man, but he held it down and managed a smile.

"C'mon, Mister. You're supposed to be sleeping remember?"

Henninger laughed at the boy's words. "Yeah, I's need'n to be sleeb'n, hm?" As he stepped past the door, he slung an arm over Kyuubi's shoulders, dragging the poor blonde over without much hassle.

"Um, Mister? Could you let go? I have to get back to the restaurant..."

The man laughed drunkenly propelling the stunned blonde onto his bed. Kyuubi landed with a soft yelp, his eyes unfocused for a second. Suddenly, he felt the bed creak as another person climbed in. He raised his gaze to find himself staring directly at the other man's eyes.

Henninger licked his lips as he surveyed the boy beneath him. Since the start of the night, when he'd first seen the blonde at the pub, he'd longed to touch him. His golden hair wasn't common at all and his eyes were beautiful. And his _skin_. Completely innocent, completely untouched. Completely pure. He brought up a hand and raked it across Kyuubi's chest, exposed because of his jacket, ignoring the shiver of disgust that went through the blonde.

Kyuubi felt panic grip him, revulsion threatening to make him just shove the man onto the floor as hard as possible. But, he was a client. A frequent client, to be exact.

Instead, he managed to scoot backwards so that he wasn't underneath the man anymore, and tried to stand up.

Henninger immediately grasped one of his ankles and pulled the boy down again. Kyuubi let out a tiny yelp of frustration and fright as the man grasped his pants and slowly tried to pull them down. Panic took control and, almost without thinking, a dagger had appeared in Kyuubi's hand and he shoved it into the man's hand.

The change in atmosphere was immediate. The man let out a howl of pain as the blood seeped out of the wound, raising his hand to stare at the tip protruding from his palm. His eyes had lost most of their drunken haze, and he brought his gaze upon Kyuubi fiercely, who was looking up as him with a mixture of panic and terror.

Henninger was furious. He'd treated the blonde well, even paid him a tip at the pub. He'd not done anything to him as they'd been coming up here for goodness' sake! Now it was time to take his pay.

He ripped off the jacket violently, his hands gripping the waist of Kyuubi's pants and shoving them down without hesitating. Kyuubi shrieked at the man unbuttoned his own pants and brought out his stiff member. Henninger groaned in pain and lust at the sight of the boy beneath him. Then he turned towards the stabbed hand. It didn't hurt as much as it probably would've, probably because of the alcohol. With a grunt, he pulled out the metal, blood pouring out of the wound. Then he turned his eyes on Kyuubi.

"Now, now, you're going to be a good little whore and let me do what I want, mkay?"

Without waiting for an answer, he quickly brought down the knife into Kyuubi's own hand. The blonde screamed in pain, tears running down his cheeks.

"That's payback. Now for the real fun."

Henninger gripped Kyuubi's hips and aligned his cock with his ass. He was trembling slightly in anticipation as lust pumped through him. He was about to thrust in, when suddenly he felt cold metal pressing sharply against his throat. He stiffened in apprehension. For a few seconds, the only sound that could be heard was the drip of blood from someone's wound. Then a low chuckle filled the room.

"Now, now," the voice sounded calm and deep, and not at all like what Kyuubi's voice had been like before. "Let's not be hasty, hmm?"

Suddenly, the man found himself on the floor, and over him stood Kyuubi, his face made visible only by the light of the moon shining from the window. Henninger shivered as he took in the blonde's blood red eyes, and the sinister smile that graced his features.

"Well then. What shall we do with fatty over here?" Kyuubi's eyes had narrowed dangerously on the man, and he leaned over to that their eyes were aligned. "I think we could have some fun now, can we?"

Then man tried to move, scream, _anything_, but his body was petrified.

Kyuubi brought the knife to his mouth, and softly licked off a stray bead of blood. It could've been considered a seductive move were it not for the situation at hand. Then his eyes widened as if he'd gotten an idea.

"I know! How about a guessing game?"

Henninger whimpered.

"Hmm, we'll take that as a 'yes'. Very well." His eyes closed for a second, then opened again. "First question. What is our job?"

The man felt his lips move without his consent.

"A whore."

Kyuubi's eyes narrowed for a second, and Henninger felt fear encompass him even tighter. Then they widened almost gleefully.

"Wrong!"

He brought down the dagger from his mouth, a huge smile threatening to split his face in half, the red orbs shining in delight. "And do you know what happens when you're wrong? Hmm? Well, you get punished, of course! And of course, the punishment has to have something to do with the original answer, hm?"

The man's eyes widened. _No, no, no, he couldn't possibly mean...!_

Kyuubi's eyes narrowed playfully onto Henninger.

"Yes, of course I _do_ mean it."

Then he shifted his crimson gaze over to the man's cock, which stood proudly despite all that was transpiring. Mirth lighted up in his darkened irises. He placed the knife against the side of the member, near the top, the blade barely touching flesh.

"Well, well, it seems we are eager to play are we not?"

Henninger, through the paralyzing fear, managed to shake his head. Drops of sweat rolled down his temples as his breathing spiked.

Kyuubi's eyes widened. "No?"

The man shook harder. Kyuubi's lips stretched in a twisted grin. He brought the edge of the knife down against the base of the cock.

"By the way, maybe I should've warned you. I hate pedophiles more than anything. Especially disgusting ones like you." His gaze turned hungry as he spotted a spot of blood coming from where the knife was pressed against the tender flesh. His tongue flashed out to lick his lips.

"Now, let's get straight to the _base_ of the matter, shall we?"

* * *

"Kyuubi, are you okay?! I'm so sorry! I know I shouldn't have sent you off with that man, but he paid a huge amount and he's a favorite client and the manager would've been so upset with me and..."

Kyuubi took a quick glance at the flustered man behind the counter.

"Doesn't matter, Kin. Its taken care of anyways."

Kin's eyes widened slightly, a question settling in his pupils.

"Wait, Kyu...you didn't..."

"Kill him?"

Kin's gaze barely faltered at the straightforward words, but his teeth clenched sharply on his bottom lip.

"..."

Kyuubi sighed lightly.

"No..." Kin turned to give him a questioning glance, his eyes hardening almost impercibly. The blonde raised an amused eyebrow at the man. "...but he probably wishes I had."

The brunette winced empathetically for a moment, then threw the washing rag onto the counter-top and approached Kyuubi, his eyes raking over the boy for any sign of blood or tearing of the clothes, pausing slightly at the bandaged hand. His heart clenched from wanting to offer comfort to Kyuubi, who, despite all appearances to the contrary, really seemed like someone who craved human contact. However, he'd learned early on, as most others at the pub had, that the blonde radically disapproved of any contact that wasn't necessary for either business or health. In fact, it was one of the things that had first made Kin notice the blonde. The first time anyone had tried touching him, that night around 2 months ago when the tiny kid had appeared from the pouring rain, he'd reacted violently. But the child was so cute and innocent-looking back then, that it had taken four screaming episodes and one man sent to the hospital for the others to get the hint.

_No touching. No matter how helpless I look. I'm not. Trust me._

The blonde sighed as Kin's eyes looked over him worriedly. Sometimes the man acted too much like a mother hen for Kyuubi to feel entirely comfortable, not counting his usual attitute, especially since it often reminded him of...

He bit his lip as a sharp burning sensation crept up his throat. He brought up a hand to wipe at his brow, but stopped when he realized it was splattered with blood. For a second he just stood there, not even really hearing Kin's questions. With an imperceptible shiver, the blonde excused himself and went to his room, on the second floor of the establishment.

There he shut and locked the door, and went to the bathroom to wash himself. As he finished undressing, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. The far-away look in his eyes made him pause for a moment as his gaze caught with that in the mirror. He took a step closer to his reflection.

It was hypnotizing. He took another step so that he was pressed up to the counter, bringing his nose up close to the glass. His eye retained that same denseness as he peered, strangely fascinated. He had sometimes taken time to look at his reflection, but never had it been such a close inspection as it was now. His eyes caught on to and examined each facet of his irises, each flash of the light blue that was looking back at him. In the depths, he was sure he could see a red light flickering.

'_Don't ever forget me.'_

Kyuubi's eyes closed painfully as the light voice crooned inside his head. A small tear ran down the side of his cheeks, swiftly falling down to the tiles of the floor. He brought his hands to his face slowly as he took a step backwards, his eyes remaining tightly shut as another tear chased the first one down his face.

'_Don't ever forget me.'_

_How could I forget you?_

'_Don't ever try.'_

A light sob escaped from the blonde's lips as he settled down onto the bathroom floor, wrapping his arms around his naked body, burying his face in his knees. The blood on his hands rubbed off on his knees, turning them a dull red. His hands softly rubbed at his arms, gripping slightly and then rubbing again, then gripping harder. He took a long smell from the back of his arm, his nose smoothing softly against the bruised tissue. His feet rubbed against one another, his motions spreading around the blood from his own hands.

The bandage around his hand fell away, revealing the healing cut. It wasn't serious anymore, but light amounts of blood filtered through the healing tissue every time the child rubbed against his skin. Another sob fell from his lips as more tears cascaded down his cheeks.

_Don't ever leave me. _

'_I won't.'_

_Never....never. I'll die. I'll break. Never. Please._

'_I'll never leave you. Never.'_

Kyuubi couldn't help the strangled whimper that left his throat at the warmth that flowed through him. His hands rubbed up and down his arms once more before settling at the top, below his shoulders, and just softly caressing his skin with his thumbs is slow circles. The tears stopped flowing and a slow, tiny smile crept into the blonde's lips.

_Never?_

'_Never.'_

Kyuubi's eyes closed slowly once again, his head resting softly against the edge of the empty tub. His consciousness slipped slowly as a warm crooning filled his mind and body, his heart settling to beat in tempo with the slow pulsing somewhere right above his chest. His heart swelled as he silently mouthed the words, and felt them repeated softly, but surely, somewhere inside himself...

-----------------------------------------

_**I love you...  
**_-----------------------------------------  
-----------------------------------------

* * *

"Kyuubi! Kyuubi!"

Kyuubi's eyes opened slowly as the sun filtered through the shades. He raised a hand to cover his eyes, then brought it down as he caught a glimpse of the patches of read still covering it from the night before. He sighed, almost with disgust, at the memory. Now he couldn't even remember the name of the man.

'_Marcus.'_

Kyuubi snarled.

_Don't say his name. I don't want to link him and you both in one thought. _

A tiny growl, more like a rough purr, really, sounded from the back of his mind. Kyuubi's mouth twitched into a tiny smile. He bounded out of bed and ran to the bathroom to wash his hands. As he took one glance at himself in the mirror, he paused for a second, then flashed a bright smile at his reflection before finishing up, drying his hands, and bounding downstairs.

"Kyuubi! I've been calling for you since 6:00. I was worried, especially after last night, cause I knew it would be a hard one and something could've been wrong and I wouldn't have known..."

Kyuubi rolled his eyes at the worried, slightly exasperated sounding Kin before sticking out his tongue.

"It was fine, K-san! After all, you know it's not like this is the first time I've had to do this sort of thing," he added cheerily as he ran to the back of the restaurant to get a mop to begin cleaning the place.

Kin watched the boy go, his eyes saddening slightly.

"...or the third, or the fourth, or the tenth..." he murmured.

Kyuubi popped his head out of the back door.

"Hey! Stop criticizing me! And don't think I can't hear you!"

Kin looked surprise for a moment, then a small chuckle escaped him.

"You're right. I don't know why I bother trying to be subtle anymore."

"You shouldn't," the blonde huffed, before once more disappearing.

Kin plopped against the counter-top of the bar, letting out a long sigh. After a few seconds he stepped outside.

It was extremely early for these parts; around 7:00, and most people weren't out yet. A few women were going to the market, one or two farmers, every once in a while a few drunks who had obviously overdone it. Kin watched it all pass lazily. A group of older men passed him, consulting between themselves and looking very worried. Kin leaned in closer to try and catch something of what they were saying for later gossip.

"...murders going on..."

"Some people say it's the devil come back to punish them...!"

"...some killed, most tortured, all of them scared out of their wits!"

Kin stiffened in apprehension, trying to focus more on eavesdropping on the men without appearing too obvious.

"Some say the most strange things, too!"

"...yeah, a little boy, they all say. His name..."

Kin stopped stock still.

"...Kyuubi..."

The brunette stayed there, barely shifting positions for a few moments before going back to the pub, his eyes sharp and cold. There he glided to the back, where the blonde was gaily sweeping away rubble and dirt. He quickly walked up to the boy and grasped him firmly by the arm. Kyuubi turned up to look up at him with frightened, innocent-looking, sky-blue eyes.

Kin snorted mentally. _Ha. Innocent. As is this boy weren't anything but._

"They're noticing. They're talking. They know."

Kyuubi's eyes widened significantly for a moment before they narrowed dangerously at Kin.

"How...?"

"I heard them talking. One of them mentioned you by name and appearance."

Kyuubi swore. For a moment, Kin was taken back by the harsh language coming out of the eight-year-old's mouth, the image and common sense surpassing his knowledge of the boy for a second. Then he composed himself. His eyes softened slightly.

"Do you have a plan?"

Kyuubi looked down thoughtfully for a moment, his eyes becoming unfocused for a moment before he looked back up at Kin.

"I do."

Kin brought back his hand from the blonde. He smiled down at him, mirthlessly, but with a sincere kind of warmth. He nodded.

The blonde nodded back lightly after a moment, then dropped the broom and ran upstairs to his room.

He quickly packed the few things he had in a backpack Kin had bought for him for exactly this reason. In a few more seconds, he was downstairs and at the door. Kin was waiting for him there, leaning against the doorframe, a small envelope held in his hands. A tiny frown decorated his brow. Kyuubi walked up to him and, without hesitating, bowed low.

"Thank you for everything, Kinamaro-sama."

Kin's frown disappeared to be replaced with a sad smile. He softly placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Hey, no need to be so polite. You don't work for me anymore."

Kyuubi straightened. His eyes were suspiciously devoid of emotion.

"You'll always be Kinamaro-sama to me, no matter what. You taught me everything I know, and I won't forget any of it anytime soon." His eyes fell on the ground. "If it weren't for you, I'd be dead many times over by now."

Kin shook his head. "Nonsense. You would've done fine without my help anyways. After all, you've got _him_ to take care of you."

Kyuubi's lips twitched.

_You don't know the half of it._

Kin seemed to gather his emotions and reeling them in before continuing.

"Kyuubi, you'll be fine. Anywhere you go, just be careful to stay hidden all the time. No one must recognize you from anywhere for a while. And don't use Kyuubi as a name. It's too known now. After all, lately your assignments have been completed quite...messily."

Kyuubi shrugged. "Gotta let him have fun every once in a while."

"Is that why you...he stopped killing them?"

"That may be part of the reason."

Kin took one last look into his eyes before leaning down and hugging him.

Kyuubi stiffened at the touch, apprehensive of _his_ reaction. However, at no furious feelings rearing up, he tentatively stretched his arms and wound them around Kin's neck. The older man went rigid in surprise, then pressed the boy even harder to his chest. Kyuubi hugged back equally as hard.

They separated after a few seconds. Kin straightened with a strained smile on his lips. Kyuubi's eyes were glassy, but nothing else showed the pain he was feeling inside. Kin opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, then closed it. He brought forth the stuffed envelope from before, holding it out as Kyuubi took it in his hands before placing it delicately inside his bag. Then he turned to Kin.

The boy's eyes met his, and for a second all pretenses of unfeeling dropped as a single tear ran down Kyuubi's cheek, down his jaw, down his throat, and disappeared into his shirt.

He bowed again. Then, he turned around and started running down the street.

Kin watched him go, the small emptiness he'd started feeling since he'd heard the men on the street quickly growing with each step the blonde took.

Bringing his hand up to his mouth, he nipped the side of it harshly, causing a small bead of blood to run and fall onto the dirt. With that, he turned his back on the blonde, his last farewell falling from his lips in a whisper.

"Be safe...Naruto."

* * *

Hmmmm, well I bet you weren't expecting that, now were you? Our little blonde isn't quite as naive as he seems! And who is Kin really?? Find out in...erm...well...not sure when you'll find out, but keep reading to finally get some Sasuke-Naruto action! (No Sasunaru yet. That won't come about for a while. Sorry!!)

**Also before I forget, I wanted to thank all my wonderful reviewers!! Nearly at the 50's mark!!!!!! C'mon people, just a few more!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!! C'MON!!!! *whoops and runs around like a hyped-up cheerleader***

- G


	8. Allergic to Royalty

Hey, Gabriel's finally here with what we all want!!!!! Tan Tan Tan Tan tun tun... BROWNIES!!! (No I'm just kidding, but I've got something even better. At least for us, yaoi-lovers. And if you're not a yaoi lover, what the hell are you doing here? Pardon my french. ^^)

My friend Blaise even made a song out of it. Here goes:

**Joy to the world,**

**Sasunaru has come!**

**Joy to the world**

**Oh het. lovers be gone!**

(Don't ask. At least, not me. BTW, its sang to the 'Joy to the world' rhythm, if you couldn't figure it out. *coughReessecough* )

Anyways, thanks to all my awesome readers!! We're past the 50's mark!!!!!! YEY!!! Thank you all so very, very, very much!

Also, one of you said that Chapter 5 is confusing (you know who you are). I'm kinda dense when it comes to other people reading my story, so if you'll be just a little more specific, that would help. ^^ Also, just to clear any doubts:

'_This is the voice inside Naruto's head, aka. the Kyuubi in him.'_

Now comes a slightly trickier part.

_This is the thoughts of whoever is presently the main focus at this point._

For example, if Naruto just tripped and, _Oh, that hurt!_ pops out, one can assume that that is Naruto speaking...er...thinking. Vòila.

Now, read on...!!!

**Chapter 8**

'_**Lightning doesn't strike twice. Or, at any rate, it doesn't strike five times.'**_

* * *

"That's how it all started. From then on, I could obviously not go any longer with Kyuubi as my name. Therefore, I reverted back to Naruto as myself. Obviously I couldn't go around telling people my real name, but Naruto was the name I thought of myself as."

All through the story, Tsunade had looked at him with eyes wide in disbelief.

"So...you _are_ the Kyuubi of 9 years ago? All those murders were staged by you? Why?"

Naruto shrugged. "Not really me. I mean, yes I was the one that killed them, but Kin was the one who told me who to kill. He's the one who taught me everything."

Tsunade bit the tip of her finger, a nervous habit she'd picked up a few years ago.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair as he sighted, then stopped short and grimaced.

"Hey, baa-san, you wouldn't happen to have anything here for my hair, would you? Something temporary."

Tsunade considered for a few moments, then rose from her chair and turned to her bag, which she'd dropped near the door when she'd recognized the 'brunette'.

"I have a small amount of dye which should last until you wash it, at least on your real hair. On the synthetic part its permanent.

She brought out a small jar of a brownish liquid and walked over to Naruto.

"I can put it in now, if you can walk to the basin in the bathing room."

Naruto looked to his left, where, at about 7 paces, was, indeed, the bathing room. He nodded at Tsunade, then, carefully so as to not jar any muscled or bones he stood from the bed. Taking a tentative step forward and, finding himself capable of holding his own, he slowly made his way to the water-fountain. Once at its edge, he carefully took off his shirt so that it wouldn't get wet, and bent over so that the water ran over his hair. Soft hand massaged his scalp as Tsunade took over the proceedings of washing his hair.

The extensions took longer, but soon most of his hair was back to looking shiny blonde. Once the goop was gone, Tsunade opened the little jar and, like a shampoo, poured it over the blonde's hair in small amounts, massaging thoroughly into the strands and between them after every dose. Soon, the whole bottle was empty and Naruto took his head away from the water. Tsunade brought forth a long piece of cloth which served as a towel and wrapped it around his head, softly rubbing away the excess water and allowing the dye to settle. Naruto waved her away and brought his head up sharply, so that his hair slapped against his back. He let out an involuntary shiver as the wet strands touched his neck.

The sound of something burning suddenly filtered into both their nostrils, but it was gone as soon as it started. Naruto grinned at Tsunade's questioning glance before turning and presenting to her his now-dry mat of brown hair. Her eyes widened, but then she grinned in response.

"Handy."

Naruto grinned back before walking back into the room. He felt exhausted from the short time he'd been standing, and he plopped down on the nearest piece of furniture, which happened to be a huge, comfy sofa. Tsunade sat down on a nearby chair, watching as Naruto recovered his breath from his short walk, then proceeded to reach back and braid his hair once again.

As he finished he turned to look at the blonde woman in front of him. Her eyes seemed far away and thoughtful.

"Baa-san? Do you have something you want to ask me?"

Tsunade looked startled for a second, then she looked at the ex-blonde straight in his eyes and spoke with complete seriousness.

"Naruto, this...Kinamaro...you speak of; he wouldn't happen to be..."

A loud knocking interrupted Tsunade mid-sentence. Kiba burst into the room looking frazzled and panicked. He turned and ran right up to Tsunade pulling her to her feet, explaining the situation between gasping for breath.

"Healer-sama! It's...it's Princess Ino! While...she was having her...her breakfast right now, she suddenly started...choking really badly! We don't know what's wrong!"

Naruto eyes widened. A familiar burst of energy ran through his spine and he literally jumped right out of the sofa, landing softly near the door. His eyes, flashing a crimson red, turned to look at the brunette.

"Where is she?!"

Kiba, who seemed too stunned to say anything else, pointed out the door. Naruto growled low at the fruitless answer, ran out of the room, and straight into a two-way corridor.

_A little help here?!_

'_To your left.'_

Without pausing, he ran down the left passageway. Doors flashed by around him.

'_Just keep going. The Dining Room is at the end of the corridor. Even **you** can't miss it.'_

Naruto bit back a smart retort as he burst into the room. He quickly scanned he scene; a large group of people off in one corner, murmuring fearfully and pointing. He followed their glances towards a huge table, filled with food. There, he saw the Prince, bending over Ino, who was clutching her neck and coughing roughly, with nothing to show for it. The skin around her chest, uncovered by her dress, was quickly turning red and rash-like. Without thinking, Naruto sped over next to her side, roughly shoving the Prince out of the way. He turned her head to look at him. Her eyes, closed tight, opened a fraction.

"Na...Naru..." her lips mouthed the words as their eyes met, but no sound came out.

Naruto, ignoring the startled gasps and increased noise in the room, softly brushed away a stray piece of hair.

"Shush..." he murmured, quietly so that only she could hear. "I'm Kyuubi, here. But don't worry, I'll explain later. For now, just relax, 'kay? Everything's going to be fine."

Her eyes widened a tiny bit, then her mouth twisted in a sardonic grin before she burst into a coughing fit, then lay still, her eyes closed again and her breathing shallow. Naruto's calm expression turned pained.

To his right, Prince Sasuke had just recovered from the violent push and came right up to the braided brunette to demand what the _hell_ he was doing. As he approached, however, the boy suddenly looked up at him, his expression murderous and panicked all at once.

"Get the Healer here, already! What's taking so long? Do you _want _her to die?!"

Sasuke took a few second to recover his composure from the unexpected burst.

"The Healer will get here when she does."

The boy's eyes narrowed, and the raven could've sworn that his eyes flashed red for a millisecond.

"You _do_ want her to die, don't you?" At Sasuke's lack of reply, his face twisted in disgust. "And I actually thought you were different to all those other disgusting, _bastard_ monarchs."

Sasuke's self-control slipped for a second as his anger rose inside him at the braided brunette's word, his mind not really processing anything except for the word _'bastard'_. His magic suddenly sprang around him, enveloping the brunette in a cocoon of deadly, magical cold. His eyes narrowed into slits as his fists clenched, causing the thick blanket to draw in, with the purpose of slow death, by suffocation. However, as soon as the raven's magic came in contact with the boy's body, it stopped its contraction. Sasuke's eyes widened for a moment before he attempted to squeeze again, harder this time. Again his magic was stopped short. A tiny bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face and his anger rose even more.

"What...the..._fuck_..."

Suddenly, a shallow, nearly transparent red glow emanated from the braided boy, forming a shield right were his magic was being stopped. The raven's eyes widened.

"Pathetic." The boy's voice, low and breathy, ran over the Prince like a bath of ice-cold water. The glow had become more pronounced, now radiating offensiveness rather than the passive shield it had been seconds before.

"You're just a wimpy, fearful _brat_, who has never-"

"...Prince Sasuke! Wha...oh my god! What's wrong with her? Is she breathing?! C'mon, someone get me boiled water and a clean cloth!"

Both magicians were startled from their encounter as Tsunade's voice breached into their ears. Sasuke's anger abated in surprise and his magic dropped around him. The brunette's shield also subsided, retreating into his body. Both boys seemed lost for a few moments, before Naruto shook his head sharply and turning to Tsunade.

"Healer-sama, she seems to be having an allergic reaction to the nuts on the table. Peanuts, I presume."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he heard the boy. _Wait. How does he know that she ate peanuts and had an allergic reaction? He hasn't even looked at the table once._

"Are you sure, boy?" Tsunade asked, quickly turning to search inside her bag.

"Completely, ma'am. And she'll probably need burdock root and ground knail. Those should help pass the allergy."

Sasuke managed to get a hold of his emotions enough to turn to his father with an emotionless façade, wondering if he'd noticed the magical encounter he'd had with the unknown boy and if he knew anything about the boy. Sure enough, the king's eyes were trained on the youth, a look of intense concentration on his face. However, there seemed to be no spark of recognition in his eyes.

The prince turned once again to see Princess Ino being carried by a few men up to her quarters, the Healer following shortly behind. The boy was standing where he'd been before, looking after them with a look of intense worry on his face. Suddenly, a wave of tiredness seemed to invade his eyes.

As if sensing the other boy's eyes on his back --which he had-- Naruto turned to the Prince and the King, who were both standing and looking at him with a mixture between a glare and pure confusion. He bowed low towards the king, but keeping his head as upright as possible.

"I am sorry for my indecency in just showing up and disturbing you, your Highness. I don't know what came over me. I am very sorry for the disturbance. Please, forgive my imprudence."

Then he turned to Prince Sasuke, meeting his eyes squarely.

"And I am sorry for causing you disturbance as well, Prince. It won't happen again."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he gazed into those deep blue pools of indiscreet hatred, telling him quite clearly that he was _not_ sorry. And, as the moment stretched on, suddenly, Sasuke had the strangest feeling that he'd seen those eyes somewhere...

The moment was broken as the boy stood up straight and walked out of the room silently and gracefully, leaving behind a room-full of perplexed individuals, and one less-than-satisfied Prince.

* * *

I know most of you are thinking;

FINALLY, SOME SASU-NARU INTERACTION!!! AT LAST!!!

Indeed. It took some time, neh? And they kinda hate each other, especially Naruto.

Also, if you read the present summary and go back and re-read chappy 7, you might understand quite a bit of what the huge plot problem is going to be about. ^^ Wonder how many of you can guess it.

Well, this chapter is kinda short, I know (and I'm sorryyyyyy) but it makes up since I posted it up so soon!! ^^ So proud I am. Besides, it has what you've been wanting to read for quite a while now, and what I've been wanting to write about too.

**Warning: **later on there will be more past-shots. (They aren't really flashbacks, per se, since Naruto is actually telling Tsunade this, not thinking it.)

Well, hoped you liked it! I'll post as soon as I can!

- G


	9. Jealousy

**Edit: Sorry sorry! The first time I posted it without even showing it to Adrianne to check!!! I was just so happy I'd finished it that I forgot about beta-ing. But now its better! Hooray for Adi-chan! **

Wooshy!!! I'm back! I'm soooo sorry for the delay in updating, but school has been hectic lately and all. . Yes, life is hard, but I'll deal with it.  
That's my new phrase BTW.

**You'll live. Deal with it.**

I keep saying it and my friends are getting annoyed with me, 'cause it makes me sound all heartless and cold. Not. ^^  
Anyways, this is the next installment of the story; hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!!

**----- Note: ****Here are some parts of the story you may need clarification with:  
****- Fudo: the being living inside Naruto. Nope, not Kyuubi. ^^ Bet a lot of you were thinking that. It means God of Fire, and God of Wisdom. Suits him pretty well, I'd say.  
****- Aiko: Fudo's name for Naruto. It means 'Love child'. Signifies Fudo's love for the blonde. :) Not like that, pervs.  
****BTW, there will be no NaruxIno. They just love each other in a sister-brother kind of way, so noes worries, amigoes!!**

Also, I put two quotes down cause I thought they both would go well with the chapter. Sorry it anyone didn't like them!!!  
Okay, I'll let you read now...

**Chapter 9**

"_**I used to trust the people I loved. I used to believe what they said. Now I know better; those that you love, and love you back...they are the ones most likely to lie to you."**_

**_"Anger is a base emotion. Want is a primal instinct. However, it is not until you feel jealousy that you know that you are really in too deep."_**

* * *

Naruto fumed all the way up the stairs to Ino's room. He hadn't meant to lose his control like that, but that stuck-up son-of-a-dyslexic-_mule-_badly-bred-with-a-rat had basically just admitted that he wanted Ino dead! He stopped dead in his tracks as silence greeted his infuriated thoughts. Normally, _he _responded with just as much fury, if not more, at any sort of offence against the blonde girl, but this time...nothing. Naruto's breath picked up without his even realizing it.

_Fudo?_

No response.

Naruto's eyes widened at the feeling of emptiness inside when _he _didn't answer. His heart clenched as all air left his lungs in one low, nearly silent whine.

_Fudo?! FUDO! _

A gust of wind blew past Naruto, even though there were no windows or ventilations around him.

'_...hush, Aiko.'_

A slow rush of air seemed to enter into his lungs at the comforting embrace of magic which came with the sound of _his_ voice. Abruptly, Naruto's momentary panic was exchanged with an irrational sort of anger.

_Where were you? What were you doing?! Warn me next time!_

'_Checking on Ino. I must caution you before you go near her, though. That reaction is by far one of the worst she's had. She probably ate a lot of those fucked-up nuts before realizing what they were.'_

Naruto's anger dissolved into worry.

_Did anyone realize that you were there?. _

'_You know I'm better than that.'_

_I do. Can't I just worry a little?_

At the derisive snort from Fudo, Naruto grinned. Stupid to think _he'd_ ever be caught, especially by anyone who didn't control magic. His eyes narrowed as he once again started on his way to the Princess' chambers.

_Was there a guy with white-ish eyes there?_

A feeling of cold fingers touching the crook of his neck signaled a negative answer. He relaxed again.

The way to Ino's room was not far away, and Naruto reached it in less a minute after he and Fudo had finished talking. After having Fudo inform him that only Tsunade and Kiba were in the room, he entered quietly, trying to maintain his presence hidden. Neither Kiba nor Tsunade noticed him as he crept closer to try and hear their hushed conversation.

"So he said it was an allergic reaction?"

"And it is. It surprises me that he'd know, though."

"Well, he was her servant for a while," Kiba shrugged. Tsunade still seemed unconvinced, but worry clouded her eyes as she turned to her patient, lifting what looked like a wet cloth from her forehead and pressing her palm to it. She hissed.

"Her fever is still high. That was one _damn _reaction to some peanuts."

"She's always been really bad about them. Her health is unnaturally good for other illnesses, so it makes sense, in a twisted and ironic way, that she'd be so vulnerable to something as insignificant as that."

Both Tsunade and Kiba jumped at his voice as he placed his head right in between them. He grinned at the brunette, then at the Healer. They both glared at him. Then he turned his gaze on the blonde girl in the bed, and his gaze turned serious.

"...but she's going to be alright, right baa-san?"

Tsunade sighed.

"I dunno, brat. I certainly hope so. You seem very close to her, and she _is_ our new 'Queen', so..."

"Wait." Both Naruto and Tsunade turned to Kiba, who was looking at them with a weird expression on his face. "...do you and Kyuubi know each other from somewhere? If not, how come you call her Baa-san, and she calls you brat?"

Tsunade's eyes widened. However, Naruto was less tongue tied.

"A few months ago, the Princess had a bad encounter with someone trying to poison her. Tsunade-san healed her up really well, and during the time she was there, we became pretty good friends." He turned to the healer. "Right 'Suna-chan?"

Tsunade recovered pretty quickly, considering the new nick-name Naruto had thrown at her. She turned to Kiba and nodded, her eyes unreadable.

"Yeah, we met each other there. However, this brat..." she pointed at Naruto, "...was no help at all. I'm surprised I managed to cure the Princess with this klutz around me."

Naruto puffed out his cheeks. "Hey! I helped a lot, you know! Without my marvelous help and beautiful face, you'd have gotten nothing done."

Tsunade gave him a weird look, then she turned back to Kiba, who was looking at Naruto with a grin.

"Don't trust anything he says. He takes self-love to another level."

Neither she nor Kiba realized that Naruto had gone silent at this comment, his face dropping into an unusually serious expression. However, this only lasted for a few seconds, and soon his customary smile was back in place, if a bit forced.

"So anyways, how's the damage?"

Tsunade turned her gaze to Ino once again. "It's nothing lethal, but it's pretty bad. I say she'll have to be in bed for another few days at least. The bigger problem is that she'll need to have someone watching over her constantly, and I have other patients to take care of." She turned her eyes to Naruto. "N...Kyu, do you think you can do it?"

Naruto's eyes widened for a moment before he nodded enthusiastically. "Course! I'll do it! Just tell me if she needs anything apart from just supervising and I'll get right on it."

Tsunade smiled kindly at him, letting her tiredness show through for a moment before yawning.

"Well, I need some sleep, since I've been working straight since last night; therefore, your duty starts now. You'll need to change her towel ever 20 minutes, or whenever it starts getting hot. And also, give her a spoon-full of this," she raised a bottle filled with a greenish liquid and a spoon, "every two hours. Apart from that, just let her rest."

Naruto nodded. Tsunade quickly picked up all her things before turning to Kiba.

"If anyone asks, I'll be in my room. Unless it's a life-threatening situation, don't call me, unless you want a sharp object shoved somewhere uncomfortable. No lube, either." With that, he was out the door. Kiba looked after her with an expression of disbelief and amusement in his eyes as Naruto bit his lip to keep from chuckling

Naruto turned to the bed, where Ino lay. She looked very fragile, and the way her cheeks were abnormally pale reminded Naruto of the Prince. His hands clenched almost without his realizing it as anger boiled inside him.

"So, Kyuubi. How long have you been Ino's servant?"

It took Naruto a moment to realize he was the one being spoken to.

"Around ten years. I started because...my mother used to work there as Ino's personal maid, and I just kind of fell into step after she died."

Kiba's eyes widened. "So you're an orphan?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, but I'm ok. Ino's like a sister to me, and...well, I've had...people who were like fathers to me. Tsunade was sort of my mother, but I hadn't seen her for a long while, so..."

Kiba grinned. "Yeah, I kind of picked on that when I heard you screaming from outside the room."

Naruto grinned back, but in the inside he was starting to panic. "Really? And just what did you hear?" His voice came out a little more demanding than he'd intended, and he prayed Kiba wouldn't notice.

"Oh, mostly the first sentence, what with both of you thinking the other was dead. I don't make it a habit of listening in on other's private...er...rather _loud_ conversations."

Naruto felt a tin blush cover his cheeks, even as he relaxed in relief. He opened his mouth to retort when suddenly a loud knocking came from the door. Kiba immediately opened the door, keeping it mostly closed so that Naruto couldn't see what was on the other side. After a few seconds of quiet speaking, Kiba opened the door fully, and who would come inside but the Prince and his escort themselves.

Naruto had to stop Fudo from lashing out as the Prince's eyes widened when they settled on him. Instead, he bowed, but kept his neck erect.

"Your majesty," he muttered between gritted teeth. With that, he turned towards Ino and touched the cloth on her forehead.

He felt it warmer than normal and, without thought or hesitation, he sent a tendril of magic over to the cloth to cool it down. Almost as soon as he did, he flinched and turned to the Prince, hoping against hope that the raven hadn't noticed. The Prince's eyes were narrowed on the blonde-turned-brunette. Naruto averted his glance to look down at Ino once again. He turned to the rest of people in the room with a flourish.

"Leave me and...the Princess' servant alone. I'll call if I need you." He waved his hand and the company disappeared out the door.

Naruto stiffened as he heard the locking of the door, but kept his body stubbornly turned away from the black-haired youth. He was nearly startled when the Prince was suddenly next to him, his eyes passing over Ino's limp form.

"How is she doing?" he asked without emotion in his voice. Naruto sighed internally, knowing this was the most he was going to get from the Prince.

"She'll be fine. Just needs a few days of rest," he said.

The Prince nodded. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Naruto started becoming truly uncomfortable at the unmoving presence beside him.

"You...er...don't have to be here. I'll take care of In...the Princess."

Sasuke shook his head minutely. "She'll soon be my Queen. I have to be sure she's in good health."

"You sure didn't care before, though, did you?" Naruto meant it to come out as a mutter, but the anger lacing the words apparently made it louder than intended as the raven turned to him with a glare. Naruto caught his eyes for a moment before turning back to Ino, his eyes softening at the sight of the girl.

"You know, she's a good person. If you give her a chance, I'm sure she can make you happy. I don't know about love, really, but you lose nothing by trying."

A sort of calmness filled the air at his words, as Naruto felt less uncomfortable than before. The quiet stretched on, and Naruto thought the other wasn't going to answer until his soft voice broke the silence.

"I don't want to give her false hope," the Uchiha's voice travelled softly through the air, sounding, strangely enough, slightly sad. "She'll just love me for something I'm not, something she idealizes. That is the cheapest form of '_love'_ in existence." He nearly spat the word.

Naruto turned to the young heir, all his earlier animosity forgotten at the obviously rare display of openness.

"Don't close yourself in like that. You deserve to be loved, just like anybody else. You'll just have to work to earn it. Prove to her you are not what she thinks, and show her what you are. Make her love you for _you._"

Sasuke seemed stunned for a moment; then he turned to him suddenly, his eyes regaining their iciness as he took a step towards the brunette. Naruto refused to step back, even though all his senses screamed at him to back off, to run away, to escape from that suddenly murderous glare. He had to clench his muscles to keep from jumping when the Prince's hand clamped on his arm. Fudo inside of him growled at the touch, threatening to dismember the raven if he didn't back off.

"Who are you?"

"...Kyuubi."

Sasuke's eyes widened before narrowing again sharply.

"Don't mock me."

"I'm not."

"There is no way your name could be Kyuubi!"

"Why not? Why didn't someone just like the name and name me so?"

Sasuke's grip tightened on his arm, pressing skin to bone. If he constricted his fingers just a little more, he'd hurt Naruto and he wouldn't be able to stop Fudo from lashing out dangerously. So instead, he allowed Fudo to gently sent out a tiny tendril of electric impulse along his arm. The Prince jumped back at the sharp sting, his hand still tingling, but not hurt.

"You don't want to hurt me." Naruto's voice came out in a strangely hypnotic tone, mixed in with Fudo's power, which, in his rising fury, had started running through his own. The Prince's eyes narrowed even more, if possible.

"You can do magic."

Naruto couldn't help himself, even though he knew he'd regret it later.

"Nah, really? One can totally guess why you are considered the best magician and child-genius around. After all, only a master like you would be able to identify such magic as when you are being toyed with it. Oh wait, that was your brother. Or are you in petty denial, Sas-kay?" Naruto said, pressing as much mocking and deriving amusement into his voice as possible. The last syllable of Sasuke's name he stretched, winding his mouth around the sound.

Apparently, this was the last straw for the monarch. With an almost audible snap, his magic suddenly appeared, roaring around him, stretching and weaving with the Prince's anger.

Fudo reacted instinctively at the threat. He immediately pushed Naruto's consciousness into the back of their mind, protecting the less experienced magic-user from harm. The brunette's eyes turned a deep, crimson red, marking his change from Naruto, into Kyuubi, as Fudo took over. He bared his now pointed teeth at Sasuke.

_Fudo, protect Ino too. This could get nasty if he can't control himself._

'_It'll get nastier if **I** can't...of course, Aiko'_ Fudo added, feeling Naruto about to try and push him down into the subconscious. He raised a small, light protective barrier behind himself, right in front of Ino. It would manage to deflect most attacks the Prince would throw, and after all, he might need the rest of his magic for active purposes; there was only so much any shield could help out, no matter how thick.

Besides, most hits reaching the shield would be either a deflected attack or a missed shot. Any direct attacks towards the Princess, or spells strong enough to breach the wards, wouldn't manage to get out of the Prince's body before Kyuubi ripped it apart.

The Princes eyes seemed to smolder in pure anger at the show of defiance, completely ignoring the change in the boy's eyes and appearance.

Most people would have immediately cowered in front of him; and now, this..._servant_, thought he could stand up to _him?_ One of the best, most feared magicians in the land? His fury knew no bounds.

However, a strange shield of sorts forming near...Kyuubi...grabbed his attention. Normally this would be a normal, if slightly cowardly thing to do, but the fact that it was forming _behind_ Kyuubi, and not in front of him, grabbed his attention for a few seconds. His eyes landed on the girl lying defenseless on the bed.

His mind clicked.

The servant was obviously protecting his soon-to-be Queen. In fact, from what he'd noticed, the brunette obviously had a much more intimate relationship with the girl than just servant-princess. And the girl and he were both fine with it; from what he'd seen, they were both _more_ than fine with it.

A strange sort of anger grew in him, different from what had been there before. He hadn't felt anything quite like jealousy before, and it was a strange feeling to him.

In his lapse, without his even noticing it, his anger had seeped away, and the aggressive magic around him had settled once again into his body.

Kyuubi looked at the raven suspiciously.

_What's going on? He went from blindly murderous to passive strangeness in a heartbeat._

'_I don't quite know, but I don't feel any aggressiveness from him now.'_

_Well, okay, I trust you. Let me take over again._

Naruto shuddered lightly as he once again came to the forefront of his mind. He'd never get used to that feeling. Emerging from the blind-side was like taking a long breath of fresh air after being locked in a stale room for some time.

After a few moments, he turned to the raven, to see him glaring at him. However, he was glad to see that there was no sign of his magic.

Sasuke reigned in the last of his anger before putting on his emotionless mask. He regretted letting his emotions take over like that, but how was he to know that such consequences would come out? Hurling his pride out the window, he lowered his eyes slightly from the brunette's.

"I apologize for my lack of control. I shall leave to let you continue taking care of Princess Ino." With that, he suddenly spun on his heels and was out of the room before Naruto could so anything other than gape at his retreat.

_Well, certainly hadn't expected _that_. Wonder if he fell into temporary insanity?_

A low, deep rumbling of laughter answered him. Naruto smiled sweetly, before turning back to Ino to feel the cloth on her forehead.

----------------------------------------------------

Sasuke walked briskly down the passageway to his room. Once inside, he locked the door and sat in his bed, preparing to analyze his feelings, something he hadn't done in a long while, and neither liked nor looked forward to.

_It's normal I should feel...possessive. After all, the Princess is now mine, and that insolent servant shouldn't be having such a...relationship with her._

The logic made sense, and he laid down on the mattress, closing his eyes lightly.

Too bad it didn't make him feel any better.

* * *

Muahahahhhahhahh! Plot development! I feel so...so...erm...well...something I guess...

Anyways, tell me how you like it so far! Is it too preachy? To OOC? To weird? To simple? Any sort of comment is good people! Although I reserve the right to ignore any flames and erase them. Those are bad, peoples. And really, what would you be doing reading the 9th chapter of something, and leaving a flame? Crazy people out there.

Please review! Or I'll set Fudo on you! And you he's not very nice when he's angry... ^^

**----------!!IMPORTANT!!---------**

**Also, before I forget, I wanted to say that I shall am holding a contest for this chappy! There are actually two signs of jealousy here, from two different people, and two different meanings for each one. Whoever can find them gets to ask for a one-shot of whoever you like!!! Or anything you want really, though not a story cause that would take too much time.** But cookies go out to anyone who reviews!! Woot woot!!!

Also, I'll soon be posting a HPDM story, for anyone whose interested. ^^

-G


	10. Dangerous Connections

I can't say how sorry I am that I have taken so long to update. I don't have any excuse, other than to say that I am right now in finals in school and rather stressed. So, on that note please don't lynch me *pouts cutely* o.o

In response to your questions:

Are you dead? Are Naruto and Ino is a relashionship? Will Neji and Sasuke fight for Naruto's love? Who is Fudo? Who is Kyuubi? What happened to Tsunade, Iruka and Kin?

In order: No, obviously. NO. Not quite, but sort of. You'll see late, but basically he is sort of another entity inside Naruto. He's basically the fusion of Fudo's mind and Naruto's body. You'll see later; they're all important in their own way. ^^

So, before the chapter starts, I'll say one things:

_Tamashii: _means soul/spirit. This is what Fudo is. Later on he will be explained further. For now, bare with me. ^^

AND..... this chapter is dedicated to Kiwi-chan and Nithia!! Thanks SO MUCH for those ridiculously long reviews. Lurveee em ^^.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

_**"I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, you... you complete me."  
**The Joker_

* * *

Naruto awoke the next morning with the eerie sensation that he'd forgotten something extremely important. He shook his head and groaned as his neck complained, stiff as it was from having slept on the chair. In the back of his mind he could feel a deep rumbling, which indicated Fudo's currently unconscious state. He grinned lightly at this, then, as if remembering where he was, turned to his right. There he saw Ino, still lying on the bed, but this time her face was not as flushed and her breathing was steady and calm. Naruto breather out a sigh of relief as he extended out his hand and withdrew the last wet cloth he'd placed on her forehead last night. It was dry, but thankfully not warm anymore.

The faux-brunette got up from the chair and stretched, letting out a soft moan as his bones popped and muscles stiffened, then relaxed. He glanced around the room and soon found what he was looking for; a bundle of fresh clothes on top of a dresser and another door, leading - hopefully - to the bathroom. He approached and opened the door slowly while gripping the clothes in his other arm, just in case it connected the room he was in to another chamber. Seeing, however, a small pool of water inside, he let out a small mental cheer and crept inside.

The bathroom wasn't anything too grand, for a palace. As a servant he had seen much better at Ino's, but he supposed that since this was one of the lesser chambers - he nearly growled at that - then it didn't really matter if the bathroom was fancy or not. It was, however, perfect for his purposes.

He quickly stripped off the dirty clothes from yesterday, placing the clean change in a nook in the wall, and came to the edge of the pool, dipping in first his foot and then, finding the water at a wonderful temperature, quickly the rest of his body. Once he was submerged to his shoulders, he reached backwards to the braid and untangled it. He ran his hair through the extension strands, marveling at their softness. If Ino had bought them, then they were most certainly made of real, human hair, and so Naruto had no trouble in washing them along with the rest of him. Once he was thoroughly cleaned, he languidly leaned back against the edges of the pool and dosed his eyes for a moment, allowing his mind to wander. At first he simply wondered about Tsunade and how she was; he knew he hadn't heard the last of her. Naruto was sure the only reason that she hadn't tried to pry further into the issue of his...past...was that there had been people around. Either that or she was in shock. Both were possible. And he was still ignorant of what had happened to her, as well.

But, being the teenage boy that he was, his thoughts soon turned to those of a less innocent nature. However, Naruto had always had a rather unusual way of depicting what he liked.

He didn't have very clear pictures of his physical desires. All he saw were flashed and feelings. Right now, his mind was in a woozy jumble from the heat of the water, and all he saw where jumping images. Dark blue hair and pale, white-ish eyes with a violent tint flashed first. Innocence went with the image, and Naruto grinned as he remembered Hinata. Next were flashes of slim waist and hips, remainders of the few moments Naruto had seen the Pink Bitch without her dress. A slight annoyance, coupled with a stench of sluttiness, was the feeling he got from that. A quick figure of Tenten's legs followed, but the feeling he got was that of friendship.

Then, suddenly, through his mind's eye flashed a pair of midnight-colored irises, flashing with a cold, calm power that had Naruto shivering in the warm waters of the pool. However, it disappeared as soon as Naruto had made sense of it, and the brunette was left with a confused sense of bewilderment that had him frowning. Nevertheless, he shook his head and, placing his ever-present grin on his lips once again, he finished scrubbing the last particles of dirt off his legs and climbed out of the pool. He dried off with a towel he found hanging off a hook on the door and quickly put on the robes he'd brought in with him. He sighed in contentment at the feeling of being clean, and then stepped out of the bathing cavern, quickly getting to the door which led out to the hallways.

With one last glance at Ino, just to make sure she was still okay, he left the room, placing a charm to warn him if anyone came to see Ino, and closing the door behind him softly so as to not wake her. Once outside, he contemplated what to do. His stomach groaned, and he sighed at his own thoughtlessness. He'd forgotten to eat lunch and dinner yesterday as he'd been so worried over Ino's well-being, and now he had to make up for it.

Trusting his nose to guide him he attempted to find the kitchen. This, however, turned out to be a very bad idea, as he was soon as lost as he could ever hope to get in the humongous castle. He sniffed the air, trying to get a scent of where the food might be, but now the only thing he could smell was old, dusty air and the disgusting stench of rats.

_Well, at least I won't starve to death if worse comes to worst, _he thought with a grimace as one of the repugnant rodents ran past him, almost completely hidden by the shadows of the wall.

'_Of course you won't, Aiko. You _could_ have just asked me, you know.'_

Naruto was startled for a second before a blush formed over his cheeks.

_Well, yeah, but you were sleeping. I didn't want to wake you!_

'_Of course, Aiko.'_

Fudo's condensing tone, which at one point would have caused Naruto to fume at him and so ignore him for the rest of the day, now only caused him to snort playfully, a fond smile on his lips.

'_Well, now that all the pleasantries are past, _do_ you want to know where the kitchen is?'_

Naruto's stomach's growl was answer enough. Naruto's blush, which had started to recede, came back full force as Fudo's laughter echoed inside him. Soon, however, the _tamashii _took pity on the poor boy and directed him to the kitchen. When they arrived, Naruto quickly blended in with all the people running around and was quickly able to, by snatching food here and there, fill up his stomach.

Nobody spared the long-haired brunette a second glance as he wove through the ridiculous amount of cooks and servants, all caught in the usual morning hustle.

Suddenly, Naruto found a plate of roast beef flung under his nose. Almost by reflex he took it off the other person's hands and the cook who had held it to him quickly ushered him out with orders to take it to the Main Diner for the royal family's breakfast. Naruto tried to protest, but the sheer hustle of bodies around him quickly pushed him out of the kitchen and into the corridor. The boy sighed, deciding that it would probably be a good chance to report on Ino's condition as well to the King and...

The boy clenched his jaws tightly as a string of anger tightened inside him. Stupid, emotionless prick of a Prince. Why did Ino have to get stuck with him?

'_You.'_

_Yeah, well, how was I supposed to know that he'd choose _me_? And, as consequence, Ino?_

Even though he wasn't sure if it was even possible for the tamashii, Naruto got the distinct impression Fudo had just sighed condescendingly

'_I'm sure it was just temporary insanity on his part.'_

Naruto smirked, then let out a tiny yelp as one of the many waiters running around ran into his left arm, and the tray on his right hand swayed. He watched in slow-motion as the pitcher on top of it tipped over slightly...

And was promptly stopped in mid-air. It took a second for Naruto's brain to catch up with the thought that the pitcher _hadn't _broken, and for the warmth radiating from it to register as magic.

'_Need help with that?'_

Naruto sighed in relief.

_Thanks._

The faux-brunette set out once again, quickening his pace as more and more people rushed around him. He felt slightly disoriented from all the pushing and running around, but within minutes he found himself standing before the entrance to the Main Diner. Plucking at his courage, he entered the room, right after another waiter who was carrying a plate which looked twice as heavy as Naruto's. The other man set the plate down at the first empty space he could find - which, judging by the sheer amount of food and plates and decorations on the table, was a feat all by itself. Naruto, instead, maneuvered for a few seconds until he found an empty space near the Royal Prick...ahem...Prince. There he set down the plate quietly, not wanting to draw attention to himself. Sasuke looked at him sourly for a moment before recognition set in and his expression turned to one of barely hidden surprise and annoyance.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Thankfully, his voice was low and Naruto was sure no one else had heard him. He made a show of cleaning the surrounding plates as he lowered himself near Sasuke so as to speak directly in his ear.

"Calm down, would ya, bastard? I just came to tell you that Princess Ino is now fine and sleeping soundly in the same quarters as yesterday. God, please don't think I came here to - of all things - see _you._"

Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction before narrowing again. Naruto vaguely felt his magic burn with anger before the sensation was gone.

"Obviously, idiot. And if I'd wanted you to tell my about Princess Yamanaka, I would have _asked_."

Naruto scoffed. "No worries. That's the last time I do any favors for you," he spat. With that, he straightened and drew away with the dirty plates. Once he got to the kitchen, he placed them inside the sink and quickly left the place, afraid that is he didn't go someplace desolate and alone, he'd explode right there and then and someone might get hurt.

More likely, someone would get _killed_.

* * *

Sasuke was growing bored quickly with the talk at the table. His father was talking about his childhood for the 50th time, and frankly, Sasuke hadn't been very interested the first time. By now, he was rather ready to finish the job his father's incurable disease had started, in very creative and rather unusual ways.

The Prince sighed as his father started telling them about the unicorn he'd caught a glimpse of two years ago - Sasuke was sure that had just been someone's idea of a prank, - when suddenly he felt the presence of one of the servants near him. He turned to tell the boy off, actually feeling rather happy for the distraction, when suddenly he was faced with a shade of blue that he'd recognize anywhere. His eyes narrowed almost involuntarily.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he snarled. He hadn't actually meant it to come out that harshly, but this morning, combined with yesterday and the day before that's disasters had him irritable. Kyuubi's response didn't really help either.

"Calm down, would ya, bastard? I just came to tell you that Princess Ino is now fine and sleeping soundly in the same quarters as yesterday. God, please don't think I came here to - of all things - see _you._"

Sasuke was surprised to feel a flash of pain at the words, but it was gone so quickly that he wondered if it had just been the food. Then, as the other words that Kyuubi had said registered, he once again felt his anger rearing up. He wasn't sure why, either. It just annoyed him, for some reason he hadn't really pin-pointed yet, when the servant talked about Princess Ino as if they both had the same claim to her. They _didn't,_ and the boy better remember that.

"Obviously, idiot. And if I'd wanted you to tell my about Princess Yamanaka, I would have _asked_."

Once again, he nearly winced at his tone. Then, he wondered why he would. He was feeling angry at the braided brunette, so why should he feel guilty? He'd yelled at hundreds of servants before; what made Kyuubi any different?

_His magic, obviously._

Happy with his logic - even though it didn't really explain much -, he nearly missed the blonde's spiteful response.

"No worries. That's the last time I do any favors for you," he spat, before he twirled, a bunch of plates held in his hands, and walked out of the room. For a few seconds, Sasuke just sat in his chair, the irrational feeling that he should be following the brunette twirling inside him. Also, something which he hadn't noticed before seemed to have clicked in his mind, and it left him feeling confused, and, if his assumptions were correct, rather more than just a bit edgy. He stood almost without realizing it and, completely ignoring his father's voice behind him asking him what was wrong, walked out of the room rapidly in search of the fuming boy.

* * *

'_He's following you.'_

Naruto stopped running, catching his breath in rapid succession.

_Who?_

'_The Royal Prick.'_

Naruto's eyes widened.

_What? Why!?_

'_I'm not sure. I think that he noticed something was off. Or maybe he's just feeling angry enough to want to teach a few lessons in the old-fashioned way.'_

_I don't think so; he didn't look angry enough to just come after me back then. _He frowned in concentration, trying to think up a rational reason for why the Prince would be looking for him. Suddenly, his eyes widened.

_Fudo...!_

'_What is it, Aiko?'_

_Can you tell when my eyes change color? I mean, I've noticed that when I'm angry, I unconsciously tap into your power out of reflex, and that causes them to change color briefly. _

'_Your point?'_

_My point is...! I think he noticed that my eyes changed color when I got mad back there! In fact, I'm sure he did. We were too close for him not to. _

Naruto felt the first vestiges of understanding blossoming from the tamashii. Suddenly, he felt Fudo go quiet inside his head, and he turned in surprise as he felt another magical presence appear behind him. He snarled before he could think about why he was doing it.

"Kyuubi. What are you doing here?"

* * *

Sasuke was feeling very annoyed by now. The stupid _idiot_ was nowhere to be found.

_Seriously. Where could he have gone to? As long as he's in the castle, I should be able to tell where he is simply by the feel of his magic!_

As soon as he finished his thought, he mentally kicked himself in his stupidity. Of course, he could feel him as long as he was in the castle. So if he couldn't...

_Then obviously he _isn't _inside the castle. _

Growling at himself, he quickly turned around. He was presently on the 4th floor, but using one of the castle's secret passageways, he'd be down on level ground before too long. He started walking towards the bewitched painting which the passageway was hidden behind, when suddenly he felt a flash of magical anger slam into him, before it was gone again.

He recognized the magic signature well enough; he'd come into contact with it only a few times, but each one had been memorable. And for him to have felt it so overpoweringly...

That brunette must be one seriously powerful, seriously _pissed off_ magician.

* * *

Naruto shivered unconsciously as a wave of rather... _friendly_ magic met with his. Almost as if they knew each other. However, as his own magic reached out, the boy's tendrils reared up, as if sensing something wrong with Naruto. The brunette was surprised but didn't react too much. The boy didn't _seem_ to hostile at any rate.

'_That means nothing, and you should know that better than anyone.'_

_I know. I'm just trying to remember if I've met him before..._

Indeed, the white-eyed boy's tone of voice suggested they had met before, something which Naruto couldn't quite place as being true or not. He tried to remember when suddenly he was startled as a tendril of Fudo's magic reached out and, after a brief hesitation, intertwined with the boy's. The feeling Naruto got from the bond was so peaceful, so serene, so...amicable, that almost immediately, a strange fury that was recently becoming more and more familiar reared its ugly head in him.

'_We've met before. You weren't conscious, though, so you won't remember.'_

_What? _Naruto was almost beside himself with anger, and was vaguely thankful that Fudo was keeping both their magic leashed, so as to not alert the other boy._ And you didn't even tell me? You've met the third most powerful magician in this castle, traded, _intertwined_ magic with him, and didn't even deem it necessary to tell me? Why not? Where you _ever_ going to tell me? Or were you just going to keep it as a little secre-_

'_Naruto.'_

Fudo's sharp voice inside his head made Naruto shut up quickly. The tamashii rarely used his name, and only when he was either extremely serious...or extremely angry. He couldn't let go of his fury so suddenly, however, and so he sent a large wave of annoyance and resentment towards Fudo.

'_Naruto. Calm down. I was going to tell you as soon as it became important. He didn't do anything, and at the moment I wasn't quite sure _who_ he was anyways.'_

_All the more reason to tell me! And he knows you! He could recognize your magic! You know as well as I do that intertwining magic with someone who you don't know, _especially _with someone you don't trust, is extremely dangerous! What were you thinking!?_

'_I was thinking of you!' _

At the words, Naruto's anger seeped away almost immediately. His eyes narrowed on the white-eyed boy, who was looking at him curiously, but oddly patient as well.

_What do you mean?_

'_What I mean, is that his magic attacked you. I did the only thing I could and, searching for a rather less destructive path of action than simply attacking him, especially with Tsunade there, intertwined.'_

Naruto's anger ebbed away as he heard Fudo's story, and in its place a blossoming of guilt took its place. He turned his head quickly towards the other boy, a slight amount of anger coming back as he realized that this boy had attacked him.

"Excuse me, could you tell me your name? I seem to have forgotten it," Naruto said, his tone as polite as it could be. In front of him, the boy raised an eye-brow.

"Hyuuga Neji."

* * *

Naruto felt as if he had just run against a brick wall. There was no way, no way at all that he'd just completely forgotten about Hyuuga Neji, one of the most talked about, most respected magicians in the land. Maybe he'd hit his head harder than he'd thought when he'd fallen down at the party. A whole rather _lot_ harder.

As he realized that Hyuuga was waiting for a response, he quickly leaned forwards in a rather less formal gesture of salute.

"I am very sorry for having forgotten you. I just...I don't know. Something seems to be wrong with me today."

He watched in amazement as the Hyuuga shook his head.

"It's not your fault. You were not in a good state when we met."

Naruto's eyes widened. He'd thought, surely, that the other boy had realized the presence of another magical embodiment inside him, but apparently, he'd been wrong.

'_I told you I wouldn't get caught.'_

Rather than feel annoyance or guilt, Naruto felt only relief at the tamashii's interference. He sent a tendril of regret and affection towards Fudo, asking for the forgiveness he knew that the other would always give to him. At the acceptance, a small smile stretched across his visage, and he turned to Hyuuga once again.

"I guess I was not. I think I'd taken a rather large blow to the head, and I was feeling...out of it. As you already know apparently, I'm Kyuubi. It's nice to meet you. Again," he added hastily, seeing the curious expression on the other boy's face.

"Likewise," Hyuuga responded, taking a step towards the faux-brunette. Naruto felt the Hyuuga extend a tendril of magic towards him subtly, and he allowed Fudo to form a small layer of magic above his, so that the magician's magic would come in contact with the tamashii's magic first.

However, just before their magic met, a sudden, eerily familiar chill settled around the air. Naruto shivered and the Hyuuga seemed suddenly uncomfortable, even though he tried to hide it. His magic returned to his body quickly and he took a step backwards from Naruto, scanning the area around them to try to see where the feeling was coming from. Naruto already knew, and he turned sharply to his left, his expression stiff and unreadable, his eyes flashing with repressed fury as he took in the person standing arrogantly in from of him, glaring back with just as much vengeance.

"Your _majesty_," Naruto grounded out. He would rather not call the Royal Prick, as he was now officially dubbed in his mind, majesty, but Hyuuga was there, and he wasn't about to show their level of ...familiarity with each other with the brunette.

The Prince's eyes swept over Hyuuga and went to rest right on top of Naruto. With the flash of anger, he was suddenly right up in Naruto's personal space, grabbing him by his arms tightly. Naruto shifted uncomfortably under the searching gaze which raked his eyes, as if searching for something. He tugged on his left arm sharply, but the bastard's grip was too strong and he flinched as it tightened further.

A few moments later, which felt like a few hours to Naruto, the Prince let go roughly and stepped back. So did Naruto, rubbing his abused arms. Something was wrong here, and he wasn't about to make it much easier for the Prince by getting trully angry. God only knew how _that_ would turn out. Instead he glared heatedly at the monarch.

"Anything you want, Prince Uchiha?"

"Yes."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that answer.

"...and what might that be?"

* * *

Sasuke hadn't thought much, apart from the fact that he _had_ to see if it was true.

He very nearly flew down the stairs, coming to the backyard of the castle grounds. Nothing was happening around him, but he thought he could feel magic somewhere to his left.

Again he rushed off in that direction, disregarding the warning bells inside his head.

As the brunette came into sight, Sasuke's vision abruptly turned red. Without hesitation, and with complete disregard for anything the brunette had to say, he went right up to him and, grasping his arms, leaned close into his eyes.

That flicker. That haunting, disappearing flicker of red that he'd seen at breakfast was still there; dim, but alive.

He followed it as it blinked in and out of existence, each time seemingly appearing once again in a different place, and still moving around shakily. He watched, fascinated by the flicker, for few moments before he was suddenly once again aware of himself and his surroundings. He forcefully pushed the boy away from him, regretting it as soon as the boy winced and held his arms, which were starting to show some purple marks which seem to be his finger-marks. An unusual flow of guilt passed through him, and he barely heard Kyuubi's next words.

"Anything you want, Prince Uchiha?"

"Yes," he replied without hesitation. He watched in vague amusement as the blonde looked at him in surprise. Obviously, he'd meant it as a subtle dismissal, but Sasuke was not ready yet to accept the fate of the brunettes.

"...and what might that be?"

In the future, Sasuke would probably look back at this point in his past and laugh, but at this particular moment all that he could think about were Kyuubi's eyes, and how they _did_ seem to shine with that haunting red light that had flashed so brilliantly. And so, in the most impressive lack of forethought, he blurted out the first thing to come to his mind.

"You."

* * *

All of you are probably thinking right now, "WOW SHE'S ALIVE!!!!"

Indeed, I am alive. And if I'm not, then be thankful I'm still writing this from beyond the grave. ^^

Hopefully (and I can't promise anything) I'll never take quite as long as I just did to update. I'm so sorry to everyone who waited!! *bows*

**Note:  
Well, no one guessed what I was talking about last chapter, about the jealousy. Sure, the first was Sasuke, but what about the second, hmm? No one guessed!!**

**And the answer is........... I can't tell you. Aparently, I've made it subtler than I thought it would be, and I've decided I'll keep it like that until someone figures out the other choice. Good luck, peoples!!^^**

- Gabriel


	11. Amuse Me

Heyyalll!!!!! I'm so sorry for the horrible delay... I don't know what's wrong with me, only my muse seems to be rather.....................anorexic? I dunno... -.-

Oh and, the small section at the start is a small flashback. When Sasuke says "You," it brings forth plenty of horrible memories for our poor little blonde, and so this is one of them. Therefore the rather interesting reaction.

I'm almost completely sure the quote below is Lord Voldemort's, when he was slightly saner. If not, please tell me!

**Chapter 10**

"_**There is no such thing as good or bad. There is only power, and those too weak to see it."**_

* * *

"You."

* * *

_A 7-year-old Naruto walked down the tables, nimbly avoiding huge legs and arms that tried to either land a hit or touch him. He grimaced as he finally reached his table and placed down the man's order. The blonde quickly turned to leave, but the man, reflexes faster in his slightly drunken stage, pulled him back. Trying to hide his growing panic as the man didn't let go, Naruto turned and eyed him with his best emotionless mask. _

"_Would you like anything else, sir?" his voice shook slightly, but he was proud of himself. Three months ago he'd have started screaming and hitting the man as soon as the huge lump of fat had grabbed him. The man leered at him, showing rotting yellow teeth as he pulled the boy closer and leaned in. Naruto couldn't help a shiver of utter disgust as he felt the man's breath on his shoulder._

"_You."_

* * *

Naruto took a rushed step backwards, his eyes wide and his mind reeling. His hands tightened around his arms, a shield more than the comfort they'd held before. The Prince in front of him eyed him strangely, apparently not finding anything rather...weird with what he'd just said.

'_Calm down, Aiko. I'm sure the idiot doesn't even realize what he's saying. And even if he does, I'm still relatively sure that he doesn't mean it...like that.'_

Fudo's calm, if slightly annoyed, voice immediately snapped Naruto out of his daze, and he narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. He couldn't stop the slight shiver that passed his frame as the piercing black eyes bore into his, as if searching for something...

As soon as the realization settled in, Naruto immediately pushed Fudo back into his mind and retained him under several layers of his magic. As if proving his hypothesis, the Prince seemed to deflate for a moment, before new anger entered his eyes. Naruto gazed coolly at him.

"Me. Would you mind elaborating on that?"

Sasuke seemed slightly confused for a moment before he turned to Hyuuga who, through the entire performance, had barely moved from where he stood a few meters off. Raising his hand, he signaled the other magician to leave. Reluctant but obedient, the darker brunette bowed slightly to Sasuke; then, to everyone's surprise, he took a step towards Naruto and then bowed even lower to the startled faux-brunette. Raising his pupil-less eyes to Naruto's blue ones, he softly prodded Naruto's magic with his own, barely enough for a few words to pass through the connection.

_-I know.-_

Then he retreated swiftly and within a few seconds was gone. Naruto stared after Hyuuga, his mind running through all the possible meanings his words could have. All of them where frightening. In his panic he brought the _tamashii _to the front of his mind again.

_He knows, Fudo! What does he know? That you're there, that I'm really Naruto, that I-_

'_We'll have plenty of time to think of that later. For now, I think you should pay attention to the rather irritated monarch to your left.'_

Naruto spun as he felt a hand land on his shoulder, his eyes narrowing and his eyes flashing crimson. He didn't even realize what was happening until it was already too late to stop the change.

"_Don't touch me._"

The change in tone caught Sasuke's attention quickly, his eyes widening in surprise and then returning to their accustomed glare; his hand, however, stayed where it was, even tightening slightly.

"No."

Naruto, for all of his much prided patience and self-control, could not have stopped himself even if he'd wanted to as he lashed out savagely. Sasuke barely had time to utter a surprised yelp before he found himself on the ground with a bleeding hand and a knife to his throat. He looked up and the boy behind him, who was holding the blade harshly, surprise evident in his features.

"_Speak now, or not at all. What. Do. You. Want."_

For a moment, he was too stunned to do anything, then, his mouth opened unbidden and the words came out without particular permission from his brain.

"I want you and your magic. I know there's something rather strange about it. I'm not sure what, exactly, but sometimes when you use magic or when you get angry, your eyes turn red. At those moments, your whole magical aura changes."

Kyuubi couldn't help himself; he laughed loudly before allowing his eyes to change hue into crimson. The surprise in the fool's eyes at the action was worth the breach in sanity it had meant. He licked his lips slightly, grinning as the action cause the raven-haired boy's eyes to travel to his lips.

"_It does, does it? And how does it change, Sasu-kay?_" Kyuubi asked, almost purring Sasuke's name at the end. He watched with unbridled amusement as his eyes seemed to glow black for a moment, not moving from his lips. Teasingly, he pushed his tongue out slightly, drawing it past his sharp canines slowly, watching with growing glee as the trapped boy's eyes followed its movement. He leaned in closer, until Sasuke's eyes were forced to go back to his own. He lowered his eyelids to half mast, his hand holding the knife brushing Sasuke's neck slightly, and causing a slight shiver down his back. Kyuubi chuckled.

"_Answer me, Sasuke._"

* * *

Sasuke had never felt like this in his life.

At first, the want to know about the elusive brunette had been plain curiosity; now, however, it had grown past that, into a strange fascination with every little movement, every little flicker of red inside those blue eyes. However, he couldn't do anything with Neji here. He motioned him to leave.

What had surprised him had not been the mock salute in his direction. The Hyuuga hated bowing to Sasuke, feeling that they were both on equal ground and therefore had no need for such things between them.

His actions towards Kyuubi, however, stunned him. That he'd bowed even lower that to Sasuke was surprising enough, but the tiny interchange of magic had been very secretive and disconcerting. And judging by the brunette's stunned and rather frightened face, he thought so too. So, following his instincts for the second time that day, Sasuke clamped his hand on Kyuubi's shoulder. The reaction was instantaneous.

"_Don't touch me._"

Sasuke couldn't help it when his eyes widened. The tone was much different from how the boy usually sounded, even when he'd been pissed off before. And somehow, it was much more startling. He tightened his grip, just to make sure he hadn't let go accidentally.

"No."

The following moment was what truly startled Sasuke. In the next second, he'd suddenly found himself laying the ground, dazed as he took in the sight of the brunette above him. He didn't register the knife under his chin for a few seconds, but even once he did, he barely reacted.

_Something's not right, _he thought.

As soon as Kyuubi spoke, he was absolutely sure that _something_ was most definitely not right.

"_Speak now, or not at all. What. Do. You. Want."_

The voice was so different from the brunette's normal tone. Before it'd been cold and indifferent towards him - except for that brief moment in the Princess' room- but now it was down-right aggressive. However, there was a hypnotic undertone that caused Sasuke's eyes to glaze over slightly. His eyes widened as his mouth opened unwillingly and the answer to the passive question came out. He felt a strange sense of sullenness creep over him as the words came out passive, while inside he could _feel _himself trying to panic, but unable to. He didn't even notice that he'd stopped speaking until he realized Kyuubi was laughing; suddenly, his eyes changed color to crimson.

It was unlike before, however. Before, he'd barely see a small flash of red before it was replaced once again with the blue of Kyuubi's eyes, (and he hadn't even noticed it during their slight tiff in the Princess' room, what with his anger spurting all over the place) but now the color stayed there, making the brunette's irises seem drenched in blood. The comparison sent a strange sense of foreboding through him.

A small movement coming from Kyuubi's mouth drew his eyes there, widening once again as he realized the boy had just _licked his lips_. Then, a strange wave of annoyance swept through him as he berated himself for feeling that that was so much more sensual than it actually was. However much he tried to convince himself, however, the boy's next words shook him visibly.

"_It does, does it? And how does it change, Sasu-kay?_"

He couldn't answer, even if he'd wanted to or even known the answer to the question; so far, he wasn't even too sure what it was that _changed, _as Kyuubi put it.

The only thing his brain managed to register was how his name sounded as it was purred from between the boy's lips, and how, after a few seconds, his pink tongue peeked through as he licked his incisors in a way that, no matter how the monarch would try to convince himself later, was most definitely seductive.

Almost in response, the boy leaned in closer to Sasuke, his eyes half-way closed and a strangely victorious glint in his pupils. Sasuke raised his gaze and found himself trapped under Kyuubi's crimson gaze.

"_Answer me, Sasuke._"

* * *

Naruto was completely unprepared for when he was suddenly brought out from the blind-side and pushed towards the front. He groaned slightly, feeling a wave of dizziness take over him for a few seconds. Then, as his vision and thoughts returned, he froze.

The Prince was laying beneath him, trapped by his sheer closeness and the blade pressed against his throat. His eyes seemed glazed and his whole demeanor was subdued. Almost reflexively, Naruto tumbled backwards with a yelp. His startled sound seemed to bring Sasuke back from wherever he'd been, and the boy was suddenly on his feet, glaring at Naruto. The glazed expression however, wasn't gone completely.

"What was that?" the Prince asked, a harsh undertone in his voice.

Naruto took a few seconds to concentrate; sometimes, it took just a little more effort to remember what had happened during the time he'd been in the blind-side. As soon as the memories returned however, he couldn't stifle the blush that swept over his cheeks.

"I'm bipolar," he said, knowing that since he couldn't hide the blush or his initial reaction he might as well use them to prove his lie. "Sometimes I just...change...and become like that. I didn't really mean any harm and well...you don't have to answer the question."

For a second Sasuke seemed confused, although it was not very apparent, but then his eyes narrowed and the chill that had up until now been missing from around him suddenly sprung up again. Naruto shivered, but was soon enveloped in a small cocoon of his own magic, keeping his warmth.

"Obviously I don't _have_ to answer the question," the monarch spat, although somewhere in the back of his mind he was slightly apprehensive that the brunette would simply take the answer, like he had before. "And if you are bipolar then you should be taking medicaments. Or going to a hospital." He wasn't completely sure on the bipolar theory; frankly, he had no reason to trust the boy, but it made sense. His magic, when the person was enraged or simply not in his right mind, could easily have made his eyes change color into their crimson state. After all, his own magic sometimes made his eyes flash blue --or at least that was what he was told--.

Naruto growled lowly at the inference that Fudo was a sort of _disease_. At the matching snarl from the _tamashii, _Naruto took a step backwards, meaning to go back to the castle. His eyes widened as he realized that the Princess' potion time was already slightly overdue.

"You shall excuse me Prince," he said hurriedly, ignoring the monarch's sputtered response that he'd do no such thing. "But my duty to the Princess calls." With that, he turned and ran back into the castle.

Behind him was left a confused and rather annoyed Prince.

"Kyuubi," he whispered. "I'll uncover your secrets yet." With a glance upwards, and then towards where the brunette had disappeared up the castle, he sighed and started walking back to the secret entrance into the castle. He was so deeply immersed in his thoughts that he remained completely oblivious to the pair or glowing eyes that had been watching all through the encounter, or the reeking of bloodlust that emanated from their magic. A low, victorious laughter rang through the trees.

"I _found_ you."

* * *

Woo another chapter finished. And some interesting interaction, neh? Just to clear up any confusions, I'm gonna put a little note here. However, it might be a little bit of a **SPOILER** so you don't have to read it.

**Kyuubi (Naruto's body--Fudo's mind) : this is ****not**** how Fudo actually is. Kyuubi is the personalization of Naruto's and Fudo's darker side's combined; therefore the bloodlust, the sensuality, the teasing, and the words are simply Kyuubi 'playing with his food' so to speak. He is Naruto's strongest side, so the clever blonde knows he must keep Kyuubi appeased, or else...well, you'll find out later. ^^ **

Hope you liked the chapter! Please review!!^^

-G


End file.
